In Cold Blood
by EternalLoveZeki
Summary: The illustrious Kuran family is thrown into disarray when the crown princess disappears under suspicious circumstances. Will she ever be found?
1. Prologue

"Are you ready for your bedtime story, little miss?" The old woman asked the little girl running happily around the room at her feet. The child stopped in front of her nanny, chocolate coloured eyes gazing up at her.

"Isn't daddy coming to read me my story?"

"Unfortunately, your daddy is very busy."

"He's been busy for forever!" The little girl huffed, folding her arms.

"It does seem that way, doesn't it? I'm sorry that he can't be here to read to you."

"It's fine, I guess." She quickly perked up and reached her arms up in a universal gesture to which the woman complied. She settled the fickle little girl on her lap before picking up a large picture book and opening it up in front of her excited eyes.

"Now, once upon a time, there lived two races. The vampires and the humans. For millennia, the humans willingly gave their blood to the vampires, who needed it to survive. The vampires were grateful for their sacrifice. However, one day, the cruel humans stopped providing their blood."

"Did it hurt when they were bited?" The young girl interrupted suddenly.

"No, I don't think so."

"Because it hurted when I got bit." She supplied.

"Vampires and humans are different, young one."

"But they look like they hurt…"

The old woman kissed the girls head affectionately. "Did you want to hear the story or not?"

"Yes, I want to!" The young brunette's interruption had already been forgotten as she bounced up and down enthusiastically on her nanny's lap. She continued.

"The vampires begged and begged the humans for their blood, but they did not give in. As the vampires grew more and more hungry, so the humans grew more and more divided. The kind humans stayed with the vampires in order to keep them alive, while the cruel humans created weapons to hurt them. A tremendous war was fought."

"But why did they want to hurt vampires if they were only taking blood from humans who wanted to give it? The vampires weren't going to hurt them, were they?" The young girl's brows furrowed in confusion.

"Because they were cruel. They wanted the vampires to starve rather than take what little they needed to live." The woman turned another page, distracting the child.

"The war continued for many centuries, until finally, the vampires were successful. They forced the cruel humans off of their land, and they lived in harmony with the kind humans. The humans that surround us today are the ancestors of those humans."

"But some humans aren't happy with us. Do they still want to give us their blood?"

"Oh, they do. They just don't show their feelings the same way we vampires do."

"Where did the cruel humans go?"

"Nobody knows for sure. Some speculate that they were forced underground and that their descendants are still at large today."

The child gazed up at her caretaker in wonder. Said caretaker gave her a kindly smile, before lifting her and tucking her into her bed.

"Now, it's time to go to sleep, little Yuuki."

Yuuki yawned, the excitement of the night catching up to her. She was soon fast asleep, dreaming of the peaceful land in which vampires and humans coexisted.


	2. Chapter 1

Sixteen year old Yuuki Kuran took in the hustle and bustle of the crowded market place with an annoyed frown. Active vampires hurried around her, their human slaves following around behind them. Various stalls selling various useful items were set up all around the small square, crushing all attendees closer together than they probably wanted to be. At the far end, a makeshift stage had been put together, lights set up to draw attention to the area.

This was the area that had Yuuki irritated. Lined up along the stage were many humans, arranged for viewing by eager vampires. Men, women and children paraded around as potential slaves for the throngs; the stronger looking ones snapped up easily and the young children obviously taken for their blood, a delicacy. She had never been able to get behind vampires owning humans for any reason, though she was aware that she was in the minority.

Despite the fact that her family was in charge of vampire society as the monarchy, her elders felt that they weren't able to go against the will of the populace. Unfortunately, the populace simply enjoyed the luxury that having a human slave on hand provided them. She couldn't believe the bold audacity of vampire parents to teach their children that these humans were willing participants in this barbaric trade.

"Do we really have to be here?" She grumbled to her older brother, hands firmly placed on her hips as she watched the auctioneer on stage working his magic with each human brought forth.

"You know that we do. It's good to be shown getting involved." Kaname replied, the edge in his voice telling Yuuki that he felt the same way she did.

"I think we'd make a bigger statement by not being here." She huffed, folding her arms over her chest. Kaname chuckled at her childish action.

"I know you never enjoy this time of year, Yuuki." He patted her on the head, "I'm sorry you had to come along."

"It's not your fault." She mumbled, turning away from the stage as a vampire sampled the latest young slave before deciding on a purchase. She couldn't wait to go back home. Seeing the despair on the faces of captured humans being newly sold into a lifetime of slavery made her feel sick. She knew that there was nothing she could do about it, however.

"I wonder how mother and father would feel if we bought all of them?" Kaname mumbled to her, making her laugh a little. It was a thought that had crossed her mind several times. However, Yuuki knew that her uncle would not approve. He was very much for vampire's remaining in perfect control.

"They'd probably return them."

"Ah! Lady Yuuki and Lord Kaname! Are you here to peruse our fine wares? Only the finest humans are available here!" Yuuki's folded arms tightened as a wave of anger wafted over her. She felt Kaname place a comforting hand on her arm.

"No, thank you. We must be on our way." Kaname replied diplomatically, turning away before the auctioneer could respond. Yuuki gratefully fell into step behind him.

"They can't just leave us out of it, can they?"

"Nope." Kaname turned to glance at her as a though crossed his mind. "Oh, are you ready for Hanabusa's visit this afternoon?"

"Ah!" Yuuki had been so preoccupied by her angry thoughts of this event that she had forgotten that Lord Aido, and by extension, her best friend Yori, were coming to their home.

"I thought not." He smiled lovingly at his scatter-brained younger sister.

"Come on, we have to go faster!" Yuuki ran past her brother, hoping that he would follow along with her example. Of course he would have already been ready for the visit, he was ready for everything. He could have reminded her beforehand so she didn't have to rush now, but he seemed to enjoy her bursts of panic.

"Oh, Yuuki, you're back." Yuuki faintly heard as she raced past her mother.

"No time, mother! Yori's coming!" She raced up the stairs to her room, hearing Juuri giggle softly and greet Kaname instead.

She had to look good for any reception of guests, but it was a different matter when the guests were friends of hers. She wanted to show them that she had put in her best effort for them. She dragged open her drawers and her wardrobe, almost ripping out her various outfits. She wasn't going to pick those that restricted her movement, for she still loved to be able to run at will, but she did have some rather stunning dresses that comfortably fit her needs.

Yuuki picked one out and checked it against the mirror, turning back and forth on the spot. She smiled. She was sure that Yori would like this one. Maybe she'd let her try some of these on later. While Yori wasn't usually the type to go gaga over pretty dresses, the fact that she was a human whom didn't really have the option to do so made it much more of a luxury for her.

Not that Hanabusa deliberately denied her the ability to wear them, but he was a lord, and he did have an image to uphold. He didn't particularly like it, but vampires thrived on their politics. It was the only way he could protect her.

She easily picked out some matching shoes, a similar elegant but comfortable pair that highlighted the nimbleness of her feet. She really would have to thank the cobbler for them; he had been given only a couple of days to design and produce this pair, and he had performed admirably. She couldn't quite remember the circumstances around the haste required, but it was probably something politically based. She hated being royalty sometimes.

She quickly tied up her hair in a practiced motion, placing a hair pin veil over it for a bit of extra decoration. She went back to the mirror, posing a little to test how she would look.

Happy with her outfit, she dashed back downstairs. She must have taken a little longer preparing her outfit than she had thought, because their guests were already inside greeting the rest of her family. She happily dashed forward to hug the cloaked brunette girl who stood behind her exuberant master.

"Oh, there you are Yuuki." She heard her father admonish from behind her.

"Yes, I didn't realise the time! Sorry about that!" She apologised before properly greeting her blond friend. "Did you have a long trip?"

"It really wasn't anything. We do travel a lot, after all."

Yuuki giggled at Hanabusa's haughty tone. Vampires who were able to travel a lot were usually very important, so she could understand the way he puffed out his chest when he spoke about it. She caught Yori placing her hand over her mouth, covering her own giggle.

"Come and sit. You must be tired." Kaname indicated the living room, where the plush sofa resided.

"It's really fine, Lord Kaname! I am as energetic as a puppy!" He placed his hands on his hip, a proud expression on his face. Yuuki didn't quite understand the level of Hanabusa's affection for her brother, but it was always amusing to watch, none the less.

"Still, you don't want to overdo yourself." Kaname responded with a kind smile on his face. Hanabusa quickly gave in.

"Alright, if you insist!" He sat himself down quickly, turning to Yori as a thought occurred to him. "Will you be alright lifting the luggage by yourself?"

"She'll be fine. That's what she's here for, is it not?" Rido butted in, a malicious grin on his face.

"Uncle!" Yuuki admonished. He really could be so rude sometimes.

"No, it's fine, Lady Yuuki. Lord Aido, I assure you that I'll be fine."

"Well, if you're sure." He mumbled, trying not to encourage anymore harsh comments from the eldest Kuran. As Kaname passed and blocked him from Rido's view, he gave her hand an affectionate squeeze. "When you're done, why don't you spend some time with Yuuki? Oh, if that's alright with you, Lord Haruka."

"Yes, of course." Haruka agreed with a friendly smile. Rido snorted.

"Why do you lower yourself to befriending humans?" He scoffed at Yuuki, who just gave him a biting look.

"Because humans aren't just mindless animals, Uncle. If you'll excuse me." She grabbed Yori's arm as she picked up the luckily quite small case and dragged her from the room.

"It's alright, Lady Yuuki. The rest of your family is nice." Yori told her serenely.

"I'm glad you're so understanding, Yori. I don't know why he's like that." They couldn't use his upbringing as an excuse, because the rest of the family had no such hard feelings towards humans.

"It's not like he's ever been nice to me before. Oh, I have a few things I was really hoping to buy today. It'll get us out of the house, so we won't run into Lord Rido again for a while. No that Lord Aido will be letting them go anytime soon."

"He won't mind you calling him by his name, you know. You can drop the Lady when we're alone, too." Yuuki smiled. She had only succeeded a couple of times in getting Yori to treat her as an equal, not as a superior.

"I mustn't forget my place! If I get too familiar, I might say the wrong thing at the wrong time." Yuuki considered her words. She was certainly no stranger to saying the wrong things. Obviously Yori was more sensible than she was.

"We're here. Drop off the case and we can get going!"

-Z-

"Look, look, Yori, this is so cute!" Yuuki held up a little plush wolf that had obviously been designed for young children. The large eyes and tiny nose gave it an extra edge of adorableness that Yuuki just couldn't resist.

"It is sweet. Are you going to buy it?" Yori asked with a smile. Yuuki considered for a minute.

"You can take that one with you if you like it, Lady Yuuki." The stall clerk said to her with a smile, causing Yuuki to turn to her with a panicked expression.

"Oh, no, I can't just take it! You worked so hard to make this!"

"And it's because I worked so hard to make it that I want you to have it." She said kindly, "I shan't accept any money from you!"

"Thank you!" Yuuki beamed happily. "I'll repay you in kind if you won't accept any money!"

The store clerk simply laughed. "You just keep smiling, Lady Yuuki. That is all I need."

Yuuki blushed deeply, clutching the small cat close to her chest. She nodded to the clerk and turned back to Yori, who was smiling mischievously at her.

"Well, well, aren't you popular?"

"I'm not as popular as Kaname…" She muttered. She couldn't get used to being so loved by the people as she was. She wasn't sure why she had gained so much popularity as she grew older either, but she was glad that she was liked rather than loathed. She changed the subject. "What did you want to buy, Yori?"

"There are a couple of books I've had my eye on for a while now. I think the stall is set up on the other side of town."

"Then let's go there next. I promise I won't get distracted again!" Yuuki wore a determined expression, before she covered her face with her new plush and raised the pitch of her voice. "I promise I'll keep her in line!"

Yori laughed, drawing a satisfied smile from her friend. Though the market had been set up fairly early for a vampire, it was still late for humans, and the sun was quickly setting. Yuuki didn't want Yori to be unable to see, so she linked her arm with her and pulled her along.

"Ah, Yuuki! What if the other vampires see you linking arms with me? Won't they be mad?"

Yuuki scowled. "They'll have to deal with it. If they say anything, I'll tell them I have permission to borrow you and I can do what I want. Don't worry, Yori. I won't let them touch you."

"It wasn't me I was worried about."

"Well, don't worry. I am the princess after all. They can't touch me."

Yuuki was brought to a halt by her friend, and was about to continue reassuring her when she saw that Yori's attention had been caught by something stuck to the red brick wall beside them. She focused her attention a little closer.

It was a wanted poster. They didn't have many of those around these parts, so the wanted criminal must have been someone important. She glanced up at the image provided. She almost felt her breath catch in her throat.

The man in the poster was, to put it lightly, attractive. He had a strong jawline with his mouth set firmly in a powerful line. His eyes were shining bright like amethysts, while his hair was a silver colour which she was sure gleamed in the sun. She couldn't help but think that it actually looked rather soft, too. He seemed to have a rebellious streak, as he had piercings covering his ears and a large tattoo on his neck. Now that she had had a good look at the image, she read the reason that he was so being so highly sought after.

Apparently, he was a prolific vampire hunter, who had slaughtered countless men, women and children. She thought she vaguely recognised the name that went with the image. Zero Kiryuu. She dragged her eyes away from the poster and back to her friend.

"Are you alright, Yori?" Did she maybe sympathise with him? It was well known that vampire hunters not only hated vampires, but fought for human liberation. Yori made no fuss about her captivity, but Yuuki was sure that she longed to be free. Maybe she was hoping that this man could save her?

Yori tore her own eyes away from the poster and smiled at her friend. "Yes. It's nothing, I'm sorry. Please don't look that way."

Yuuki's concerned look turned to a sad smile. How different things would be if Yori were a vampire noble like her master was. She wouldn't have to look at these images and wonder what a brighter future would look like.

"I'm really fine, Lady Yuuki. Let's get going to the book stall, shall we? It'll be dark soon!" This time, Yuuki was the one being dragged along by the cloaked figure of her best friend.

"You know what, Yori? You don't have to spend your money. I'll buy those books for you!"

"You don't have to do that!" Yori sounded startled. "I've been saving my money specifically for these!"

"It's fine, it's fine! Consider it a thank you for putting up with me for so many years."

"Putting up with you? Are you alright?"

"Yes, fine, fine!" Yuuki perked up. "I won't take no for an answer here! You are my best friend, after all!"

"Alright. Thank you, La—ah, Yuuki." She smiled at the pureblood beside her, who beamed in response.

"So, which ones did you want?"

"It was these two." Yori deftly pulled her desired books from the stall, the expression on her face telling Yuuki that she hadn't really expected them to be sold here. Yuuki dug through her pockets to pull out the required gold as Yori accepted the bag from the merchant.

The sun had fully set now, so after Yuuki paid the merchant, she took hold of Yori's hand; this time, she was simply going to guide Yori back to the manor. She grinned softly to herself when she felt Yori giving her an affectionate snuggle before they began to move.

Yuuki glanced into a little alleyway to see a young woman being pinned to the wall, moaning softly as a male vampire drank from her. She scowled a little. Did he really think that this was acceptable out here in public? She was glad that Yori wasn't able to see far in that direction. Only on the other side of them where the few working humans had lit their lanterns to find their way around in the dark.

"What was that noise?" Yori asked. She was fairly sure that she already knew, but Yuuki didn't want to confirm it.

"Don't worry about it." She whispered back, tugging her away as the man glanced back in their direction. The woman looked like she could barely stand. Yuuki hoped that he was one of those who treated his underlings' right.

With these thoughts weighing heavy on her mind, Yuuki pushed open the front door.

"He needs to be punished!"

"Please, calm down." Yuuki jumped a little at the angry voice. She gave Yori a look that told her to wait where she was and got a nod in response. She stepped forward into the room.

Her family was stood around a young, trembling boy who was on the ground, a piece of fresh bread in his hands. He looked to only be around eight or nine years old. Haruka looked to be holding back an angry Rido, who looked like he would quite happily murder his brother right there.

"We can't just allow slaves to steal whatever they feel like taking! We need to make an example of him, so that this isn't repeated." Her uncle stated.

"Surely we can talk about this…" Haruka tried to hold him back. Yuuki was sure that he would tear the young boy limb from limb if he got any closer to him.

"Rido, there's no need for this!" Juuri reprimanded her older brother, who simply glared back at her.

"If we show mercy here, they'll all be at it. Tomorrow, we make an example out of him. No arguments."

Haruka sighed in defeat. Yuuki glared at him.

"You can't seriously be okay with this?"

"It is customary to put rogues down. We can't allow this kind of behaviour here."

"He's only a young boy! You're planning on just killing him for a loaf of bread?"

"If he's allowed to continue, he will only get worse. Like the rest of his kind!" Rido glared her down. She looked around the others for support, but they seemed to have given in and wouldn't look at her. She gave each of them an angry glare.

"This is disgusting. I'm against it." She stormed past them all to her room, slamming the door behind her.

-Z-

Yuuki dangled a small, sapphire pendant in front of her face, considering her options. This was the only one of its kind in existence, made as a gift for her by Hanabusa, who was, after all, a genius. This wasn't just any old pendant, either. This pendant had the power to cloak any creatures aura from vampires, whose sense were powerful enough to sense anything near them even if they tried to suppress it.

She pushed away a wave of guilt as the beautiful sapphire reminded her that she had left Yori behind earlier. She knew that she wouldn't have faced anything worse than harsh words from her irate uncle, but she still should have gone back for her. Her anger had blinded her to anyone else's needs. And now, she was planning on giving away this pendant that had been a special and unique gift to her.

She knew exactly where her uncle would store the young human before his planned show of power to the rest of the slaves. She also knew that he wouldn't have bothered to guard the cell, as he was certain that the other's feared him enough to stay away. It was also a help to her that she hadn't told anyone else about the power that Hanabusa had infused into his gift.

After she was certain that everyone had fallen asleep, she slipped the pendant over her head to hide her aura from any stray vampire. Any one of them could get up for blood at any time, but they wouldn't be able to sense her.

She deftly moved through the manor that she had grown up in, heading directly to the cells. As expected, there was no one here to guard them. She grabbed the keys off the hook and descended. She carefully passed the empty cells until she found the terrified boy in the final one.

His head snapped up as he heard the sound of the key in the lock. She could see tears welling up in his eyes, and her heart broke as he scrambled back against the wall. He thought that she was here to kill him. She couldn't blame him. He had been in too much terror to comprehend what was happening around him earlier.

"It's alright. I'm not here to hurt you." She whispered, stepping into the cell and kneeling down in front of the boy. "I'm here to get you out."

He gazed up at her questioningly, not sure whether to trust her or not. She slowly moved her hands up to remove the pendant from her own neck.

"Wear this. It will shield your presence from vampires, so you can escape." She gently placed it over his head, gladdened that he moved to accept it. She took his hand and urged him up. She attempted to suppress her aura before she returned to the manor. If anyone sensed her here, it would be over.

She manoeuvred herself carefully through the various rooms in her suddenly way too large manor. Her senses were on high alert, snapping to attention every time she heard the slightest noise. She was very aware of the small body pressing close to her, the life that she held in her hand. She couldn't fail now.

She let out a small sigh of relief as they finally made it to the front door, undetected. She let go of the boy's hand and fumbled with the lock for a moment, before stepping out into the cool dawn air. She pried the young boy off of her, bending down so that she could make eye contact with him.

"Now, don't take that pendant off, whatever you do. I can't go any further with you; I'll only give you away. You need to run, do you understand me?" She felt his shoulders quivering in her grip. He nodded once.

"Thank you, miss vampire." She smiled softly at him.

"Good luck." With that she let him go, watching him tear quickly across the grounds before disappearing into the wooded area beyond their lawn. Hopefully, he would find humans before he found vampires. She was sure that this wasn't the best course of action, but it was the only one she could think of with the time limit hanging over her head.

She silently wished him luck one more time before she went back inside, and headed back to bed.

-Z-

She awoke to an enraged scream.

"What do you mean he's gone?" Her uncle's voice brought her quickly to consciousness. She heard either her father or her brother answer in a soft mumble; she couldn't make out the words.

"Yuuki had something to do with this. I know she did!" Yuuki heard footsteps heading towards her room and forced herself up just as her uncle slammed open her door.

"Where is the slave boy?" He yelled at her, clearly not caring about her groggy appearance.

"What are you talking about?" She replied, rubbing her eyes a little to rid them of the last remnants of sleep.

"Don't act coy, I know you let him go!"

"Uncle, you're being unreasonable!" Kaname stepped in front of Rido before he could take another step towards Yuuki. She took the opportunity to stand.

"She was the only one in open defiance. She's the only one who would do it!"

"Do you have any proof that she did it, Uncle? It's not like you stationed guards before the cells. Any one of us could have done it." Kaname reasoned. Rido rounded on him.

"Then are you saying that you did it?"

"No, I'm saying that the possibility is there. You can't just blame Yuuki with no proof!"

"All of you, please. Calm down. There's no point being at each other's throat about this. The boy is gone, and there is nothing that we can do about it." Juuri was standing in the doorway, hands on her hips, "and Rido, you shouldn't be charging into Yuuki's room first thing in the evening! What if she had been dressing?"

Rido clearly hadn't considered this possibility, and appeared cowed by Juuri's wrath.

"It's far too early for this. Rido, Kaname, out!" She made a move as if to grab them both by the ears, which prompted them to leave the room on their own. Juuri's ear pinches hurt, as every one of them could attest to.

She turned to her daughter. "I'm sorry about this, Yuuki. You go ahead and get dressed. You father and I will get him under control."

"Thank you, mother." Yuuki let out a sigh of relief as her door was once again closed, and the footsteps were losing volume. She sat herself back on her bed, exhausted before the day had even begun. Could she bring herself to open the curtains and let in the crisp night air?

Well, she would have to face the music sometime. She dragged a crumpled outfit from the foot of her bed and quickly dragged it on. She wasn't going to put too much effort into looking good tonight.

As she reached the final step on her descent, she met her brother who had apparently been waiting for her.

"What are you doing, Yuuki?" He asked her in a harsh whisper. She glowered at him.

"You have no proof that I did anything, remember?"

"I know you, Yuuki. I know that you released him. Did you think of the consequences for yourself even once?" Her glower deepened. She understood that he was only worried about her; her uncle would have it in for her for a while yet, but she couldn't have just stood by and let them murder a child.

"I can't just sit back and let these things happen, not under this roof!"

Kaname sighed, and pulled his sister into a hug.

"You know I couldn't bear it if anything happened to you. And what about Hanabusa and Yori?"

"I understand, Kaname." She returned his hug, "Thank you for protecting me."

She knew that his anger had subsided when she felt a defeated sigh. He looked into her eyes as he let her go.

"Keep on your best behaviour until he calms down."

"Yes sir!" She gave him a mock salute before she said her goodbyes and went to find Yori. That small burst of excitement had been enough for her. Kaname watched her leave; she was certain the worry was still bubbling in his chest.


	3. Chapter 2

Yuuki sighed to herself as she gazed out the window. Her head rested in her hands, her expression clearly highlighting her boredom. Nothing of note had happened since she had saved the little boy a few months ago. She found herself longing for a bit of adventure. This pampered life just wasn't for her.

She hoped that the youngster had made it out alright. After all, she hadn't been able to go with him, and he was likely to be eaten if he was captured by another vampire. They were known to drain the blood from human children, as they were regarded as a delicacy. Part of her hoped that he had been saved by one of the bands of hunters. She was sure that they would take good care of him.

Another part of her wished that they would do more raids, as the manor became more excitable and active in the few days following a successful raid. She would have something to focus on, unlike how it was in the present. The town was pretty and all, but when you were looking at it every day…

She caught a glance of her best friend down below, obviously running errands for her master. She was grateful to Aido for taking such good care of her, despite the fact that she was a human. They always looked so affectionate with each other, and she was sure that she wasn't the only one to notice. The way Aido looked at Yori when she wasn't looking back was just so tender; Yuuki hadn't thought that he was even capable of such an expression. He had always been so haughty and arrogant when they had all been growing up together.

Maybe one day, they could be together without stigma. Maybe one day, they would both meet as free beings; each with their own ability to choose. She shook her head softly. She was daydreaming again. Her family, though in charge, wasn't going to rock the status quo. There would be too much of an outrage from the other vampires. She frowned to herself. Maybe one day, she would take the throne and work towards this change. But that wouldn't happen. If anyone took the throne, it would be her older brother. That was how it had always worked.

"Yuuki?" She got to her feet at the sound of her name.

"Yes, father?" She tore her gaze away from the tiny figure of her friend as she went to seek out her father. She found him at the bottom of the stairs, casually holding onto the rail and smiling up at her as she came down.

"I know you won't like this, Yuuki. But I need you to head out of town for a few days, to see Lady Shizuka."

"Lady Shizuka? I thought Uncle Rido was supposed to see her. Why would I go and see her? We have nothing in common!" Yuuki predictably protested. Even if her tone hadn't conveyed her annoyance, her expression clearly did.

"Yes, well, something has come up, and Rido is, unfortunately, too busy to go. And you do need to bond with your future aunt. She will be family after all." Yuuki pouted. She had wanted to get out, but not to an awkward visit with a woman that she didn't know.

"Why can't Kaname do it?" She asked, crossing her arms irritably. She couldn't stay mad at her father for long, though, as he pulled her into a one-armed hug and gave her an apologetic kiss on the forehead.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki. I need Kaname here." Yuuki huffed. Of course he was also too busy to go and see his future aunt.

"When will I need to leave?"

"You'll be leaving in the morning. It's only a few days journey away by carriage. You can choose who'll accompany you." He affectionately stroked his daughter's long auburn hair. "I really am sorry, Yuuki. I know you don't like doing things like this."

"It's alright. I understand." Yuuki turned to go back to her room, "I'll go and get prepared."

She grumbled to herself. Sure, her Uncle was eternally busy, but she thought that he could at least find the time to see the woman who was to be his wife. Supposedly, she kept herself to herself, as she hadn't been seen for a few years, though her servants had been spotted out and about.

If she was this reclusive, then surely she would want to see her future husband, and not the young girl who would be her niece? He had always made time to go and see her before, no matter what. After all, all the responsibility of the kingdom was on Haruka. She sighed once again to herself. Maybe father can't handle it all by himself anymore? She thought. Maybe her uncle was just choosing to be a good brother over being a good fiancé.

She shook her head roughly. It would do no good to dwell on such things. The fact was, that she was going and her uncle wasn't. It only took her a couple of hours to pack what she needed, not intending the visit to last for too long, and set her case down by the door. She should say goodbye to her friends. It wouldn't be polite of her to just disappear for a few days.

"Ah, Lady Yuuki. You're already ready."

"You know it's just Yuuki when we're alone." She scolded her blond-haired friend, smiling. It was almost as though Aido knew that she would be looking for him. He looked affronted.

"That's just not the way things are done, Lady Yuuki! It would be rude!"

"You're already being rude by ignoring me." She playfully stuck her tongue out at Aido, earning an indignant loom from him. "Is Yori here?"

At the sound of her name, she poked her head around the door. "You called?"

Yuuki went to give her friend a hug. "I'm sorry that I can't stay here with you guys."

"It's fine. It's not like you haven't spent any time with us at all." Yori returned the hug. "We'll be here when you get back, anyway."

"Oh, your visit has been extended?"

"Yeah." She caught a sneaky glance at Yori by her friend. She had a suspicion that his decision to extend had been heavily influenced by his human. "There are a few…things…that I still need to take care of here."

Yuuki smiled sweetly. She had heard from him before that Yori was happier here, with a friendlier crowd of vampires, than she was back at the Aido estate. She was sure his 'things' were heavily related to that.

"Well then. I'll see you on my return."

"Try to have fun, Yuuki. I know you don't want to go, but at least you're somewhere different!" Yori comforted her. She was always able to look on the bright side.

"Thank you." She addressed the response to Aido, who merely gave her a questioning look, before she hugged her friend again. She gave her a kiss on the cheek for luck. She noticed her brother in the doorway.

"Time to go, Yuuki."

"Yeah, yeah." She gave a final wave, following along behind Kaname who had grabbed her case.

"I'm sorry you have to do this, Yuuki."

"Yeah, father already said."

"It's silly, really. We've never met her in person, and it isn't like she ever comes to visit us. How many years has it been?" He mused out loud. Yuuki agreed. Such visits should surely be equal in measure, rather than the Kuran's having to go everywhere for 'appearances." The politics had never interested her, even though she had been dragged into more political actions in the recent years.

"You're not taking anyone with you?" Her father asked as the two approached him.

"No. I'm sure whoever you chose will be fine." She smiled. Haruka would never let her leave the estate without trained professionals. She thought that he worried too much. She didn't have any enemies, and who would go after the youngest, most unimportant family member?

She gave a friendly wave to the vampires gathered around her carriage outside.

"Isn't mother coming to send me off?" Yuuki asked, a little disappointed. Was she so busy that she couldn't even come and say goodbye?

"I'm afraid that she was called out suddenly. She did say to tell you goodbye. She'll be here when you return, I'm sure."

"Oh…alright." She found herself pulled into her brother's comforting arms.

"I'm fine, Kaname. Really." She laughed, releasing herself from his grip. "I understand that everyone is very busy right now, with the increased hunter raids…"

She stepped backwards, clapping her hands together determinedly. "Right, I'm off! Bye bye!"

She approached the other vampires around the carriage, allowing them to help her inside. She quickly drew the curtains to block out the slightly painful rays of the rising sun. She hoped the heavy cloaks that her fellows wore were enough to keep them comfortable. She didn't want them suffering because of her.

As the carriage began to move, she stuck her hand through the curtains to give a final wave to her family behind her. Retreating back inside, she sank down in her seat, listening to the pleasant singing of the dawn birds. She made sure to take a deep breath of the fresh air outside of the estate. Who knew when she'd get to taste it again?

She could hear the two drivers bantering with each other. She often wished that she could get involved. Unfortunately, the other vampires were too worried about offending her to joke with her, no matter how often she reassured them that she was fine.

She felt her eyelids drooping in response to the relaxing atmosphere. She hadn't slept in a while, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to get some rest…

The first thing she noticed when she awakened a couple of hours later was how quiet it was. Usually, there was still the clatter of passing carriages and hushed conversations of those walking past. Even the drivers had turned silent.

She poked her head through the curtains to see what was going on. Her unease grew when she saw how deserted the road was. Even on the slowest days, there were at least a few working humans going about their business. One of the drivers noticed her nearly hanging out of the carriage.

"Please get back inside, lady Yuuki." He told her, his tone brooking no room for argument. She frowned, unease turning to worry. Something was about to happen; she could sense it. As if in response to her thoughts, the bushes surrounding them exploded in a blur of chaos. The drivers were quickly knocked from their seats, while the horses bucked and screamed.

Yuuki quickly left the carriage, preparing to help her fellows amidst the struggle. She could sense a great number of enemies, but her confused senses didn't alert her to the man behind her, who swung down a bar onto her head. Yuuki felt herself pitch forward before her world went black…

-Z-

"And you thought you'd bring her back here?"

"You can't deny that having a pureblood in our hands can be useful."

As Yuuki struggled to regain consciousness, she could hear two male voices somewhere nearby her. She tried to focus on the words, finding it too difficult to open her eyes.

"She's not just a pureblood. She is the princess! She could bring the whole monarchy down on our heads!"

Who were they? She didn't recognise either of the two voices, and they were getting heated. Was her presence here a problem? Why did they bring her here then? They weren't vampires…

"This will send them into a panic. This could be a perfect opportunity!"

"Well, we can't let her go. She'll lead the vampires straight to us. We aren't ready for a war." There was a pause in the words before the same voice continued, "I can't believe you thought it was a good idea to bring Yuuki Kuran here."

"I…" The second voice was swiftly interrupted by the more authoritative first one.

"No. I don't want to hear any more. Tend to her until she wakes. We'll decide what to do with her then."

Yuuki fell back into unconsciousness as footsteps echoed in her head.

-Z-

Yuuki gave a painful groan as she finally forced her eyes open. She could see the faint flickers of candle light in the room (at least, she assumed it was a room) that she was in. It took her a second to realise that she was seeing rock above her. Was she underground? She certainly couldn't smell any fresh air here. What she was lying on wasn't uncomfortable, so it couldn't all be solid rock.

She turned her head to the left. There was a row of beds beside her, arranged neatly in lines through the room. So that's why she was so comfortable. It almost looked like a military hospital wing. She was relieved to see her two companions asleep in the two beds nearest her. She pushed herself up and instantly regretted it as a wave of dizziness swept over her.

"Ah! Miss, it's probably not a good idea to move around just yet!" She jumped as she heard a young voice to her right. Even if she was injured, as a pureblood, she should have been able to sense the presence beside her. She turned her head, eyes widening as she took in the small pendant that she had given to the young slave months ago. Her eyes travelled up past the soft young lips arranged in a worried pout to look into his amber eyes; the candlelight dancing off his unusual honeysuckle hair.

"It's you!" She exclaimed. The young boy's mouth twitched up into a smile as his saviour recognised him.

"Yup. Thank you so much for helping me out that time! My name's Yui, by the way."

"Um, my name's Yuuki." He laughed playfully.

"I know that, silly. I used to work for you, remember?" She flushed in embarrassment. Aside from the time that she had saved his life, she couldn't remember seeing him around the manor. There were so many different humans and vampires at work at all times that it was difficult to keep track of them all.

"I'm sorry…"

"Oh, it's okay if you don't remember me. It must be hard for you vampires to remember all your human's names." She felt a rush of guilt, despite the boy's friendly smile. Even though she was against the owning of humans as slaves, she hadn't really paid much attention to the ones all around her. Though she could take solace in the fact that they were treated well by her family. Well, maybe not by Rido. Her uncle had always had a sadistic side…

"Um, the two who were traveling with me…"

"They haven't woken up yet. You're the first. I'm glad you're alright, miss Yuuki."

"Yes. I'm glad you made it out alright. I worried about you." He stood, a determined expression appearing on his face.

"No need to worry about me! I am just fine!"

"I can see that." She laughed. She was glad that he seemed to be doing well. He looked as though he had gained some weight in the months that he had been gone. Her heart warmed. Her decision seemed to have been the right one. "Where are we?"

"This our stronghold."

"Stronghold?"

"Yup. This is where the vampire hunters have been staying for the past few years."

Yuuki felt her heart jump. Vampire hunters? She had been captured by vampire hunters? But surely, the hunters loathed vampires with every fibre of their being? So why were she and her companions still alive?

"That's enough, Yui." A strong male voice stopped the two in their tracks. Yui stepped away from Yuuki despondently.

"Yes sir." He said, "I'll see you later, miss Yuuki." He waved to her.

"Wait, where are you…?"

"Now that you're finally awake, vampire, you're to come with me." The hunter commanded her coldly as Yui disappeared from sight. She felt her hackles raise in response. No one aside from her parents ordered her around like that.

"And what if I don't?" She challenged, scowling at the large hunter. His own scowl deepened threateningly.

"You don't want to challenge me here. You're out of your league, little girl."

"Little girl?!" She responded indignantly.

"Are you going to come, or am I going to have to make you?" He took a menacing step towards her, causing her to glare back at him.

"Fine, I'll come." She stood, waltzing past the hunter into a spacious cavern that apparently served as the hallway. He quickly overtook her; another set of hunters falling into step with them. They were obviously there to help out if she attacked. She wondered to herself if she could make her escape. They were only humans, after all, and she was a pureblood vampire. But then, they were hunters. She didn't know what kind of weapons or skills they may have inherited from their forefathers. Every vampire said that they were dangerous, and to beware of them. There were rumours that they could indeed harm even the purebloods floating around.

"If you even think of fighting back, you'll regret it." It was almost as if the hunter had read her mind. Was she so predictable, even to those who didn't know her? Had they had captive vampires before? They couldn't have had a pureblood before; she'd have heard about it. And it hadn't seemed like it from what she could remember in her vague moment of consciousness earlier.

They soon came to a wooden door. He gave her a look.

"You're about to meet our leader, so be respectful. As respectful as a vampire can be, at least." Yuuki bristled at the implication.

"I'm sure your precious leader can handle a rude comment or two!" She shot back angrily.

"Watch your mouth." He stared down the irate Yuuki for a second more before rapping on the door, the sound echoing down the empty hallway.

"Come in." Yuuki recognised the dulcet tone from earlier. She felt her arm roughly grabbed as she was dragged into the room.

"Hey!" She squealed resentfully.

"Behave." The hunter told her once more before leaving the room. She rubbed her arm where she had been grabbed before looking towards the area the voice had come from. There were two males; one sat at a small desk while the other hovered nearby.

She blinked in surprise at the familiar lilac eyes, translucent pale skin and beautiful silver hair. She took in the small silver earrings peppering his ears and the complicated tattoo on his neck; the acts of rebellion in his younger years. The poster had really done him no justice.

This man's image filled vampire's hearts with dread. This man was the one who had caused so many disturbances around the world. This man who had earned the nickname of the 'silver wolf' amongst the more fearful members of society.

This man sat casually appraising her was none other than Zero Kiryuu.


	4. Chapter 3

"Shouldn't we have heard from Yuuki by now?" Kaname asked his harried looking father. It had been a fair few days more than the family had expected to hear about Yuuki's safe arrival at the Shizuka estate. Haruka had cited a number of reasons as to why Yuuki may not have arrived yet, or why the letter had not made its way back to the Kuran estate, but even he had a worried edge in his expression.

"I'm sure she's fine, Kaname. She's a capable girl." He had every faith in Yuuki's ability to handle herself. Whilst she was still a young noble, she had proven herself many times, pulling herself out of any number of dangers when she was a child. However, she was even more of a target for rebel factions now that she was older and had more influence.

"She might be capable, father, but she's not invincible." Kaname retorted, addressing his father's internal worries. "Shouldn't we send someone out to check? It's been too long, and it's not like her to forget something like this."

"You're right." Yuuki could put across the image of an airheaded girl when it benefited her, but she was smarter than many gave her credit for. She knew that her family would worry if they didn't hear from her.

"There have been more hunter attacks lately." Rido's calm voice reached their ears. "And as you are aware, our young princess Yuuki is a prime target if they wish to strike at us."

"That's not the only answer." Haruka replied.

"If she was simply injured, we would have heard by now. If not from Yuuki herself, then from one of the servants." He could see the logic of his words sinking in for both Haruka and Kaname, despite the slightly doubtful look he was getting from the younger male. "I think the only conclusion we can reach is that the hunters have taken her."

"How can you be so calm about this, uncle?" Kaname challenged. There wasn't a hint of worry in Rido's voice, and it rubbed him the wrong way. They were supposed to be family.

"Believe me, I'm far from calm. However, I don't believe they will harm her. She's too valuable of a bargaining tool."

"Rido has a point. If she is in captivity. We can't be sure until we have confirmation."

"We need to get confirmation. Send someone out to find her!" Kaname demanded, a dangerous aura surrounding him. He resented his importance in the Kuran estate. If his presence wasn't necessary to the smooth running of the kingdom, he would have left to find Yuuki himself. No matter the potential danger.

"I'll have someone out tonight."

"Tonight? This is your daughter!" His anger and worry were building.

"Please, Kaname. If Rido is correct, she is not in danger yet. I don't think we'll need to worry until we hear something from her abductors." Haruka ran a harassed hand through messy hair. "This is as quickly as I can act, I'm afraid."

"And as you two have said, she is capable. I'm sure she can defend herself for a little while." Rido added, a hand coming up to cover his mouth in an almost thoughtful manner. "The hunters will certainly be punished for their crime."

"We should prepare ourselves for any outcome. Not just a hunter abduction."

"Oh, excuse me. You're quite right."

Kaname took in a deep breath, using a technique he had taught to Yuuki when she was small. He would send out his own men alongside those he was certain his father would send, for extra insurance.

As he left the elder Kuran's in the reception room, he barely registered the worried looking Yori who had overheard the whole exchange.

~Z~

Yuuki shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably. The room had been silent for a couple of minutes as both men in front of her silently appraised her. She couldn't read anything in the leader's expressionless eyes, and it was leaving her feeling rather nervous. Just what would he do to her? Was he as savage as she had heard? Did she really have something to fear here?

She sucked in a breath as he finally spoke. His voice was calm and strong, eliciting the feeling of a tranquil lake in her.

"You're looking better."

"Uh…yes." That hadn't been what she expected. What did he want her to say to that?

"How are they treating you?" These were odd questions from a man who was supposed to be her enemy. She could handle the open hostility she had experienced at the hands of the hunter man who had brought her here, but she really didn't know how to respond to this subtle kindness. He was the hunter leader, so he couldn't really care about her wellbeing as a pureblood. Was he feeling her out?

"As well as can be expected." She responded in a guarded tone. The man standing menacingly by Kiryuu's side spoke frostily to his colleague.

"So what are we going to do with her?"

"We'll need to keep her here."

"If we can't give her back, why don't we just get rid of her?"

"And how do you propose we do that? If we harm her, we'll draw even harder retaliation from the vampires."

"This is a lose/ lose situation either way. Why use resources to keep her when we can just kill her?"

"Stop talking about her like she isn't even here!" Yuuki cut in. "I don't care how many hunters you send at me, I won't just let you kill me!"

"We're not going to hurt you." Kiryuu calmly stated. His companion scoffed.

"Yet."

"At all." Kiryuu gave the auburn haired male a stern look. "However, you must understand our situation."

"I won't tell them anything." Yuuki knew that this line was less than meaningless to the two hunters.

"Oh, that's fine then. I guess we should just let you go." She gave the second male a cold glare at his sarcastic response.

"Kaito. Control yourself. We'll discuss this in further detail later." He got another warning look from Kiryuu, before his leader turned to Yuuki. "You know that I can't trust your word. A lot of lives are at stake here."

Yuuki's mind flashed to Yui. As much as she didn't want to remain here, she understood his plight. She got the sense that he'd rather she wasn't here either, but she didn't feel a sense of danger from him like she sensed from the other older hunters.

He stood elegantly, exuding the strength of a tiger on the hunt. Her senses were suddenly on high alert as he approached her. Her sight fixed firmly on the untrustworthy brunet while she honed her focus on Kiryuu.

"You'll only need to worry about him if you try my patience." Yuuki was suddenly reminded that as courteous as this man appeared to be, he was still her enemy. He only needed a reason to put a bullet in her if he wanted to. "Come. I'll take you to your room."

"You make it sound like it'll be pleasant." She finally removed her gaze from the hunter named Kaito, reassured that he wouldn't attack her. At least not while the quietly threatening Kiryuu was around.

He was apparently done talking, just giving her a silent look as he held the door for her. She looked into his eyes for a second, taking in the strong and determined gaze. He had a neutral expression, but there was a cold fire shimmering beneath the calm exterior. She wondered what it would take to set that fire ablaze.

She obediently followed along behind him as they passed through a densely populated area of the colony. She could almost feel the distrust radiating off of the residents, the silence an unnatural accompaniment to the crowd. She was astonished by the variety of people around her. She had assumed that a hunter colony would be primarily made up of capable, strong hunters, but there were men and women of all ages. Some were clearly normal humans, their impartial aura separating them from the hunters.

"There are so many people here…" She muttered to herself. Yui's presence should have alerted her to the possibility. Hell, the fact that she had clearly woken up in a medical bay fit to hold many sick and injured bodies should have told her that.

"Where else would you vampires expect them to go?" His tone was accusatory. She started slightly.

"Are you saying that they're escaped slaves?"

"Not all, but plenty are." He cast her a cold glance over his shoulder. "You see why I can't just let you go?"

She did. A group of hunters was one thing, but slaves who even attempted an escape were treated cruelly before they were, perhaps, executed. The very public torture of these slaves was permitted as a message to others who may attempt the same thing. If she proved herself untrustworthy and brought an army of vampires down on these people, she would be subjecting them to a fate worse than death.

But then, what was he going to do with her? He couldn't just keep her locked up, as the one called Kaito had said.

She couldn't help but feel relieved as the angry glares fell from her body. Her mind kept telling her that she was now alone with quite possibly the most powerful hunter in the world, but she quelled the uneasy feelings that arose with the thought.

"Here we are." She was pulled from her thoughts by his quiet statement. At least there was a door, she thought. It'd feel a lot less like she was in a cell than if she had bars, as the Kuran dungeon had. Stepping around Kiryuu's firm body, she looked around the room that was to be her temporary home. It was small and held the bare minimum, but it didn't feel totally empty. There was a warmth to this room that she couldn't identify.

"Make yourself comfortable."

"Right." And then she was left alone, a soft click letting her know that she was locked in. She sat down on the bed, her thoughts wandering in a million directions at once. So, she was officially a prisoner now. Her captors had no idea what to do with her now that she was conscious and moving. And in that vein, were her companions also conscious and moving? Were they being afforded the same protection that she was? Were they in danger because they weren't important to the vampire sphere?

She didn't think so. While Kiryuu definitely didn't like vampires, he didn't come across as cruel. His first concern had been how she was, despite her very existence being an affront to him. She had seen minor slips in his mask as his ire shone through, however he also didn't appear to be the type to kill without reason. In short, he was the logical type.

Having sufficiently reassured herself of her companions' immediate safety, she let her mind shift to her family. Did they know that she hadn't reached her destination? Were they frantically looking for her? She could imagine Kaname losing his mind with worry. She wished she could let him know that she was alright. He had always been overprotective of his baby sister, often to his own detriment.

Another soft click reached her ears. The door slowly swung open, a small figure emerging from the doorway.

"Yui!" She stated in astonishment as the boy quickly shut the door behind him. He put a finger to his lips in the classic 'shh' motion.

"I'm not allowed to be in here." He whispered, coming closer to Yuuki.

"You shouldn't come if you'll be punished!" She admonished. "They're concerned for your safety, you know!"

Yui waved a hand dismissively. "You're not going to hurt me."

"That's not the point." She smiled softly. "But I am glad you came to see me."

"Yeah. It's hard work being surrounded by angry guys."

"You're not wrong." She giggled. She leant back, gazing at the ceiling. Yui hopped up beside her. A rhythmic rocking motion told her that he was kicking his legs merrily.

"Don't worry about Zero. He'll do the right thing!" He suddenly stated confidently.

"You seem certain of that."

"Yup. Zero seems scary, but he's really nice."

"I wouldn't go that far."

"You'll see!" He grinned a boyish grin at her. She hoped that he was right. A thought struck her, now that she was stuck here indefinitely…

"I want to hear what happened to you after I let you go."

Yui studied her face for a minute, before he settled himself flat on his stomach. Yuuki adjusted herself according to his position.

"Well, what happened was…"

~Z~

 _As Yui hurried into the woods, he was struck by just how dark it was, despite the searing sun up above. Everything seemed ten times larger now that he wasn't with the kind vampire anymore. Each tree glared down at him, branches blocking out the heat from the sun and reaching for him as he ran for freedom. Every screech in the abnormal darkness sent his heart pounding into his mouth; every scampering footstep leaving him convinced that the vampires had discovered that he was missing._

 _The feeling of anxiousness only rose as the trees thinned out, and the ominous trees were replaced by ominous buildings. He tightly gripped the pendant around his neck, hoping that what the female vampire had told him was the truth. He kept himself out of sight, his skills at thievery coming in handy. He didn't want anyone here giving information on his whereabouts to the vampires who would be set the task of returning him._

 _He could feel his heart rate calming. While most of those actively walking around the town were human, there were a few brave vampires who had also ventured outside. They would have noticed his obviously panicked aura by now. Keeping to the shadows, he searched out a secluded spot to rest for a while. His legs were beginning to burn and he was having to focus far too much on bringing his noisy breathing to an acceptable level._

 _He travelled through a few vampire towns over the following days, stealing just enough to survive and remain beyond the realm of discovery. He was feeling safer and safer as each day passed without incident. Maybe he had gotten away scot free?_

 _With the growing sense of triumph, his confidence grew beyond his means. He was getting bolder in his actions, the risks that he'd be seen growing greater and greater. Finally, a few towns away from the one he had started in, his luck ran out._

 _As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Yui decided to make a bold grab off of an apple cart that had trundled into town for the day. He had noticed that some particularly business oriented vampires would bring themselves out to work throughout the day to appeal to the humans wondering about carrying out arbitrary tasks for their masters._

 _The business vampire's attention apparently taken by an interested customer, Yui made his move. He darted forward and made a wide sweep to take as many apples as he could carry. He was quickly stopped by a powerful grip on his arm._

" _I do hope you're intending to pay for that." The vampire glared down at him as he tried to free himself from his grip. His heart stopped as the vampire's glare changed into a cruel smirk. "Oh, you're a street urchin. No one will miss you then."_

 _The humans milling around were nervously ignoring the struggling child in the vampires grasp, lest they brought punishment down upon themselves. Casting a warning glare to any other humans with the bright idea to take from his cart while he was gone, he began to drag the youngster away. Yui began to beg for help, knowing that he wouldn't receive any._

" _That necklace can fetch a pretty penny." The vampire taunted. "This is my lucky day."_

 _Having taken Yui to an isolated area where he would be left to his business, he yanked the boys head to the side, exposing his creamy white neck. He let out a panicked scream before the weight of the vampire was suddenly yanked away from him._

 _He scrambled back against the wall before he opened his eyes. He saw a second male he had not seen before pinning the vampire to the ground. He was holding something to his head._

" _You like to prey on children, hmm?" The second male's grip tightened on the vampire's hair. "Unfortunately for you, that's something I can't forgive."_

" _Who are you? This is none of your business!" The vampire spat angrily as he squirmed._

" _You were about to murder a child. This is my business. Don't worry, I'll make sure you never harm a child again."_

" _What are you-" The vampire's response was cut off by the sharp retort of the gun in his hand. The man's body slumped as the support under him crumbled to dust. He wiped his weapon before getting to his feet and turning to the prone Yui._

 _He flinched as the man approached, causing him to pause and bring himself down to the child's level. Yui was struck by how angelic the man looked, a soft expression on his face and the vibrant silver hair glinting like gunmetal in the light._

" _It's alright. You're safe now."_

 _Yui whimpered softly. He was struggling to hold back the frightened tears that had been threatening to spill since the start of the whole encounter._

" _You can cry if you need to. I won't let anything scary happen to you." His voice was soothing, almost like a father talking to his child. Yui threw himself forward at his saviour, burying his face in his chest and letting the tears spill. He felt the safest he had in days as the man's arms enclosed him in a comforting embrace._

 _As he slowly began to calm down, he felt the man pull away from him. He tightened one little fists grip on the older male's shirt, keeping him close for a bit longer. He watched curiously as the other reached into his pocket, and then extended his hand towards him._

" _You must be hungry. Here."_

 _Yui carefully checked over the small packet that he had been handed. It wasn't like anything he had seen before, not that the vampires had had any obligation to feed him more than the necessary amount. He looked up to see a small smile playing across the other's features._

" _It's not much, but it should keep you going." Realising that the younger didn't know what to do with the small packet, he gently took it back to prise it open for him._

" _Thank you!" The boy sniffed inquisitively at the new food item in his hand, before he took a cautious bite. The new flavour took over his senses, almost drowning him in sugary sweetness. As he took another excited bite, he heard a soft laugh in front of him._

" _You like that, huh?" The man took advantage of his newly secured freedom to stand. "I guess you parents aren't around here?"_

" _I don't have any…"_

" _I thought so. It's not safe for a human child to be wondering around a vampire town." Yui grabbed at the soft fabric of the man's coat as he turned, fearful that he would leave. After a quick sweep around the area, the man turned back to Yui, mindful of his small hand. "I have somewhere safe we can go, until you get back on your feet."_

" _Yes please!" Another small smile. An open hand was extended to the child, who eagerly took it._

" _My name's Zero. What's yours?"_

" _Yui."_

" _It's good to meet you, Yui."_

 _~Z~_

"And I've been here ever since. He still sneaks me food if I didn't get enough to eat!"

Yuuki let go of her knees, which she had pulled up to her chin as she had listened to Yui's tale. She couldn't quite believe that the cold and calculating man she had visited was the same kind man who had dropped in to save a scared child. But then, she reminded herself, Yui is a human child.

"I'm sorry… I wish I could have done more to protect you."

"I get it. You would have been punished if you weren't around that night." He beamed up at her. "It's fine, because Zero was there when I needed him!"

She smiled. His affection for his saviour was simply adorable. Both jumped when the cell door was roughly thrown open. Yuuki had been so engrossed in Yui's story telling that she hadn't sensed anyone approaching.

"Yui! Get away from that vampire at once!" The tall male hunter roared.

"She's not as bad as you think she is!" He yelled back before obeying the older man's orders. He gave Yuuki a tentative wave, a gesture she appreciated a lot more than the hostile glare the hunter gave her before he locked her back in.

She sighed softly. They'd probably keep a closer eye on Yui now. She prepared herself to be alone for a while.

~Z~

The next few days all merged together in a tangled mess of boredom and frank idleness. Yuuki wished that there was at least a window for her to look out of, instead of being trapped with only the same four walls to fill her vision. She tried pacing in an effort to stave off her growing anxiety, but it didn't take long for her to feel ridiculous and stop.

She allowed her mind to wander once again to thoughts of her family. How were they doing? Were they looking for her right now? Did they still have hope of her return? She wasn't sure how long she had been left alone in this little room, but she was almost certain a decent amount of time had passed. Her thirst was awakening.

She focused her senses in order to determine how many humans were outside the door, considering knocking the door down and making an effort to escape, as inevitable as her death would be. It would at least be stimulating. She decided against it. Her brother would never forgive her if she put herself in danger.

~Z~

Yuuki traced the crevasses in the ceiling above her for what had to be the thousandth time. She was more and more willing to just fade away as the inactivity slowly drove her mad. She blinked as she heard an angry sounding voice approaching the door. Was someone actually coming to see her?

"I don't care what she is, we are not savages! Honestly, I'm away for five minutes and you forget to take basic care of her?"

There was a mumbled response before the door was flung open.

"No more excuses! Kuran, up, now!" She glanced up at the livid silver-haired man above her. His nose was wrinkled in response to the smell she was certain to be emitting by now. She slowly twisted herself around to stand.

She was surprised when a strong hand helped her to her feet. His grip didn't remain on her for long.

"Is this how you treat all your 'guests'?" She questioned, her voice cracked and strained from her lack of use. Kiryuu threw a glare at the guard standing in the doorway, who visibly shrank away from him.

"I thought they had more manners than this." He looked into her red tinged eyes, the disgust evident in his features. "She's starving. Fetch a blood pack."

The guard was thankful for the excuse to leave his angry leader. Yuuki returned his angry glare with one of her own.

"Come. I'll take you to get clean." He turned his back to her, expecting her to follow. She eagerly did, finally presented with a reason to leave the small room she had been confined to.

"Were you hoping I'd just turn to dust in there?" Yuuki heatedly bit out, keeping close to his powerful strides. She heard him sigh.

"As much as one less vampire in the world would be a good thing, it's not really in our interests to turn you to dust."

"So you would if I wasn't the princess?"

"You certainly wouldn't be here."

"You don't have to talk around it. Just say you'd have killed me!" Her frustration and hunger were boiling over. Kiryuu didn't answer her, instead bringing her to a stop in a secluded area in which a small stream flowed from a medium depth pond throughout the cavern. The water poured down from a small opening in the ceiling, cascading through the small cracks in a pretty pattern.

"Here?" She looked at him nervously. "But it's so open…"

"It's nothing I haven't seen before." Was he boasting to her?

"Well, you haven't seen anything on my body before! So uh… could you at least turn around?" She would have much preferred to bathe on her own, but she couldn't blame him for wanting to keep an eye on her after she had been abandoned in his absence.

"You sound confident of that."

"What?" Yuuki squeaked, before attempting to regain her composure. Losing her cool in front of this man probably wasn't a good idea. Especially while she was beginning to eye his rather delicious looking neck. Where was the man he had sent away to get blood? Did he know to come here? She assumed that he would know where Kiryuu would take her, but she didn't know how well she could trust such an assumption.

"I won't let him see you." He said, as if he had read her mind. He had a warning look on his face despite his seemingly friendly banter with her as her eyes wandered once again.

"So only you can see? Perv."

"There's nothing to see." He finally complied with her request, turning his back to her. He had apparently had enough of her nervously playing with the top of her dress. "This area is more isolated than it looks."

"That's good."

"Be a good girl and wash up. Then you can have…dinner."

Yuuki finally began to unbutton her dress, satisfied that Kiryuu wouldn't look. She chose to ignore the repulsed pause in his statement. "Will I be the only one who gets dinner?"

"Your friends are fine. Shinmei only forgot about you."

"I'm not that forgettable…" She muttered, slipping into the surprisingly warm pool. She sighed a little as the cleansing water enveloped her.

"I wouldn't risk forgetting you. Even a young pureblood is a dangerous pureblood."

"Well, aren't you quite the flatterer?" She replied bluntly. He refused to comment, instead casting his lilac gaze around the area like a loyal guard dog protecting its master. She let herself sink lower into the water, allowing it to cover half of her face. After the long days building up an awful layer of dirt, the water felt simply heavenly. Not even the continued presence of the watchful hunter could ruin this moment.

Though she didn't particularly know the man accompanying her, she could trust his survival instinct. She allowed her eyes to slide shut and her head to tilt back a little before she ducked her whole body under for a minute. When she had finished happily cleaning herself up, she was astonished to see a fresh set of clothes lying next to the pond.

"Where did you get these from? And when?" Yuuki was certain he hadn't been holding them when he had brought her here. They were actually quite nice. She had thought there would be the most basic, hideous clothes to change into, just behind the expectation of having no clothes to change into at all.

"That's a secret." He replied unhelpfully.

"Well, thank you."

He glanced over his shoulder into her garnet eyes. "You're ready to go?"

She merely nodded in response, now eager to get the blood that had been promised. Yuuki almost led the way back. Kiryuu spoke, apparently in response to her desperate thirst.

"I'll make sure you're properly taken care of in future."

"That's fine. If you forget me again, you'll just have to give me your blood."

"Don't push your luck."

~Z~

After the hunter's apparent mishap, Yuuki was being personally taken care of by Kiryuu himself. He would come by each day, taking her to bathe and providing her with more stimulating conversations than a one woman room could provide. Whilst she was aware that he was probing her as much as keeping an eye on her, she was grateful for the company.

Yui had either disappeared, or he was being deliberately kept away from her. She restrained herself from asking about him in case it put him in further trouble with his elders.

Eventually, Kiryuu decided that she had earnt herself some extra stimuli. He began to provide her with books and games to keep her quiet, as she had begun to not-so-subtly hint that her enclosure was mind numbingly dull.

When she switched her complaints to the games, and how they were no fun alone, she even got him to play with her once or twice. He never went too far in the friendliness factor, but she had begun to enjoy his company anyway.

She wondered if this was part of his duty. To find out as much as he could from her in order to effectively decipher what was to be done with her. Or whether he could attack. She frequently pushed these thoughts to the back of her mind. There was no use worrying about it. Her father and the others could handle any incoming threats.

"And with that, I am once again the victor!" Yuuki placed her piece triumphantly on the board. Kiryuu scoffed.

"I won't let you win again."

"You're losing to vampire girls now? You've gone soft." A new voice made Yuuki glare lightly. The hunter he had called Kaito was standing in the doorway.

"You have to give them a victory now and then."

"I beat you fair and square!" She caught an irritated look from the newcomer, as though he had expected her to stay quiet. She returned it confidently.

"You have to beat their confidence down, not build it up."

"Vampires or girls?"

"At least Zero can get a girl with confidence." She clapped her hand over her mouth. What was she doing, bantering with these hunters as though they were friends? Kaito apparently agreed with her thought, giving her an icy look.

"On a first name basis, are you? You really have gotten soft." Yuuki silently chided herself. She hadn't even realised that she had called Kiryuu by his first name.

"Stop it, Kaito." Kiryuu stood, casting Yuuki into shadow as his body blocked the flickering flame behind him. She was surprised that he hadn't rebuffed her for her casual use of his name. He spoke to her next.

"You'd better prepare yourself for some hard labour tomorrow. Earn your keep."

Earn her keep? She wasn't here for fun, despite his efforts to make her stay more enjoyable. The look she gave Kiryuu told him everything he needed to know.

"Don't you want to leave this room?"

"I do." She considered the odds of being able to come back into contact with Yui. The child had put all his faith into her, and she had felt a little better when he had come to reassure her in her first few hours. She decided that it was worth it to see him again. "Alright, I'll do whatever you want me to."


	5. Chapter 4

Yuuki's curiosity about her newfound surroundings was quickly quashed by the appearance of a large pile of clothes dropping forcefully into her arms. She staggered back a little under the weight before she re-established her balance.

"You're going to be helping me to wash clothes today!" The plump woman who had provided her with her workload informed her. Yuuki thought that she picked up her own pile, but she couldn't see very well past the wall of clothes. She imagined that this was how a bat would feel, relying on sound to blindly move through the world.

"Are there only two people for this task all the time?" She asked, hoping the human woman could hear her muffled voice. She was vindicated when she heard a booming laugh.

"We're very busy at the moment, you know!" She responded jovially. Yuuki was thrown off guard by the friendliness she was being shown. Didn't she know that Yuuki was a vampire, and therefore the enemy?

"Oh, I haven't told you my name. I'm Hilda. You'll be with me today." Hilda laughed. "Our great leader must like you to let you roam about out here!" They had stopped at a shallow stream, which looked to Yuuki as though it didn't connect to the area she had been taken to bathe. Two odd looking contraptions had been laid out by the side, and Hilda had strapped an item of clothing to it as she spoke. Yuuki watched her carefully before attempting it herself.

"I'm Yuuki. It's nice to meet you. And I wouldn't go so far as to say he likes me." He had always been cautious with her, even when he had been keeping her occupied. She had allowed herself to feel far too comfortable around him, as the only face she had seen for a long time, but he had definitely not felt the same way for her.

"Allowing a pureblood vampire to integrate into the community? He likes you."

"Why are you so friendly to me?" Yuuki's curiosity bubbled over. Everyone had acted coldly to her (bar Yui), so she hadn't expected any different from her supervisors. Hilda appeared to mull over the question for a minute.

"There are good vampires out there too, no matter who disagrees with me."

They worked in silence for a few minutes, Yuuki stutteringly copying the more experienced woman beside her. This silence was more pleasant than the others she had faced; it was tranquil with no hint of aggression.

"Do you know Yui?" Yuuki broke the comfortable silence.

"Ah, everyone knows Yui. Little rascal. Always getting himself into trouble." Hilda shook her head disapprovingly. Yuuki smiled softly. It sounded like he was okay. She hadn't really expected anything different from the resilient boy.

"He told me that he came here with Kiryuu when he saved him. Did you come here like that?"

"Something like that. Why do you ask?"

"Well, everyone here talks about him as though he's a sweet heart. But then some act as though they're afraid of him. I don't understand."

"He's no angel, but he has saved a lot of people here. He has a bit of a temper, that's all." Hilda glanced over at Yuuki. "You haven't seen him angry yet."

"He seemed pretty angry when he found out the guard's had forgotten me…" She jumped when Hilda laughed once again.

"When he's yelling, you're quite safe. It's when he goes quiet that you have to worry."

"Have you ever seen him angry?"

"Thankfully not." She beamed at the younger female. "I haven't had the pleasure of his company enough to see."

Yuuki wondered if that had been a jab. She didn't know just how much time the man allowed for the others in the colony. The sheer size of the colony meant that it was impossible for him to have time for everyone. Had he spent more time with her, his enemy, than he had with his allies?

The conversation between the two became more general until the large pile of clothes had shrunk to nothing. Yuuki was swiftly released from her duties; she wasn't sure that Kiryuu had meant for her to roam freely and she was a little nervous about running into him without a supervisor. More so for the person who was supposed to be keeping an eye on her than for herself.

As she nervously toured the area, she spied a familiar honeysuckle mane in front of her.

"Yui!" She called out excitedly. His head whipped from side to side as he searched for whoever had called his name. She felt her happiness rise as a wide smile spread across his face.

"Yuuki!" He threw himself into her arms in an enthusiastic hug. "I'm sorry I haven't been to see you! I didn't forget you, I promise!"

Yuuki chuckled. There was a theme here.

"Did they throw you in a single room too?" She teased. He shook his head as he released his hold on her.

"No, but they did keep a super close eye on me. Grown ups are way too scared of everything."

"How many times do I have to tell you that they're worried about you? It's a good thing."

He made a disgusted face, drawing another giggle from Yuuki.

"Were you going somewhere?"

"Oh yeah. I was going to the medical bay. The grown ups are planning a supply raid. We're super low on medicine. Did you wanna come with me?"

"Is that alright?" She asked tentatively. Would she be strung up from the nearest outcrop if she attempted to go near any injured humans? She couldn't imagine that they'd be too happy about her presence.

"You worry too much." Yui grabbed Yuuki's hand and dragged her along behind him. When he was suitably satisfied that she'd follow him, he let her go. The scent of blood hit her strongly all of a sudden, and she realised that she had been catching a faint whiff of blood all day. It had steadily been growing stronger; much stronger than the usual scrapes and bumps would produce.

She felt a growing sense of unease, similar to the unease she had felt before her carriage had been attacked. The boy in front of her remained oblivious to Yuuki's distress.

Finally rounding the corner to the infirmary had Yuuki stop dead in her tracks. The infirmary was full to bursting with casualties, each person sporting more severe and painful looking wounds than the one before.

Her heart constricted as she fully took in the groans of pain and the haunted looks on agonised faces.

"Wh-what happened?"

"They were attacked by vampires." The familiar voice of the hunter's leader reached her ears. "They were waiting for them."

"All of them?"

"Yes. All of them."

"How did they escape?"

"They were let go as a warning to us." Kiryuu was watching her carefully. Instinctively, Yuuki approached a man with a large gash on his arm. He watched her cautiously as she lifted his arm and gently slid her tongue along the cut, savouring the taste of the fresh blood as her saliva began to heal the wound.

Part of her had been expecting it when she was suddenly and violently yanked away. The grip on her arm was painfully tight.

"Did you just come here to feed, vampire?" Kaito hissed at her.

"I want to help." She replied simply, allowing the healing wound on the man's arm to speak for itself. The man himself was gazing in awe at his arm.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." He murmured to himself.

Kiryuu stepped forward and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Let her go, Kaito."

"Zero-"

"Kaito." His tone left no room for argument. Kaito glared at him before letting his grip fall from her arm. She rubbed the newly freed flesh tenderly. "We can handle this."

"It'll be a lot quicker if you let me help. You could use my blood-"

"No." Kiryuu's response was sudden. "No blood."

"But it can heal-"

"I said no, Kuran."

"Why are you so against something that can help?" Yuuki was beginning to raise her voice. She couldn't help it. Did he hate her so much that he would sacrifice the health of his followers?

"A vampire's blood can only lead to darkness." He told her. There was something in his voice that quieted any further objections. Had he seen something? Was that the reason why?

"Fine." She looked around the room once more. "Do you still object to me helping with their wounds?"

Kiryuu deliberated for a minute. Yuuki waited patiently. Her saliva didn't need to be injected, and certainly couldn't cause any perceived damage. He was a smart man; she was certain that he would realise that. "Go ahead. Yui, keep an eye on her."

Yui, who had been standing silently by an injured woman's bedside as the events unfolded, jumped slightly as he was addressed. "Yes, sir!"

He received a small smile and a loving pat on the head.

"You're leaving a child in charge of a pureblood vampire? Are you crazy?"

"Stop questioning me, Kaito. I do know what I'm doing, as much as you may disagree. Now, come with me. I need to talk to you in private."

The brunet grumbled for a minute before obeying the order he had been given. He had one more mistrustful look for Yuuki before he disappeared. She caught sight of another hunter eyeing her mistrustfully out of the corner of her eye. She was almost certain that it was the same hunter who had brought her before Kiryuu for the first time. She sensed something a little different in his aura, but dismissed it as he moved away.

Under Yui's careful supervision, and the wary eyes of those surrounding her, she set about making as many people comfortable as she could.

~Z~

"Kiryuu's so confusing. He acts like he trusts me one minute, and then he doesn't the next. I know we're natural enemies, so why trust me with anything?" Yuuki vented to her young companion much later on.

"You mean about the blood thing? I can answer that." Yui responded chirpily.

"There's a reason for it?"

"Yup. I hear the lady who was in charge before Zero went crazy. She'd lose her temper over little things where as before she was really nice and patient. I think she cut herself on a hunter blade one day, and it came out that she had been drinking a pureblood's blood. She was going crazy because she hadn't had any in a long time, but she had pretty much become a human vampire. That's all I know."

"Kiryuu was here to witness that?"

"He sure was. He was the first to notice that she had injured herself."

It made sense now. If that was what he thought happened when someone ingested vampire blood, then of course he would be against the idea. But Yuuki was left wondering; if this story was true, who had she gotten the blood from? She didn't know any purebloods that would willingly allow a human to drink their blood.

He wouldn't know the answer to that, of course, so she decided to indulge in another of her curiosities.

"When I spoke to Hilda earlier, it sounded like everyone has a story about being saved from a vampire. I was wondering if Kiryuu also had a story like that?"

Silence filled the air between them, causing Yuuki to re-evaluate her curiosity. She was relieved when Yui finally spoke.

"He does… but our stories are pretty tame compared to his. He wouldn't want me to tell you, but…"

Yuuki was intrigued. It wasn't like Yui to shy away from a subject, even if it would lead him to trouble. She should tell him that it's okay not to tell her, but the more selfish part of her told her to keep her mouth shut. Her continued patience paid off.

"Did you notice that he has no family here?"

"I hadn't really thought about it, but now that you mention it…" A sense of foreboding washed over her. Yui took a deep breath, releasing his words in a hurried torrent.

"When he was little, a pureblood vampire tortured and killed his family before it tortured him. It wasn't a quick thing either. It happened over a couple of weeks. He wasn't found for hours after the vampire disappeared. Apparently, it was months before anyone could get him to speak, and even then, he'd just talk about killing those beasts in human form." He glanced over at Yuuki, noting that something was wrong with her. Her face had gone pale and her eyes were wide. "After having something like that happen, I think it's pretty cool that he can even talk to you. If I had gone through that, I don't think I would be able to stomach being near a vampire."

Yuuki silently agreed, working hard to process the sad summary of a story she had just heard. As much as she mistrusted his initial motives for keeping her entertained, she had to admit that he was mentally strong. He was being pursued as an enemy to all of vampire kind, not to mention that it sounded as though he had only had contact with those she would deem to be bad vampires. Coupled with a devastating past, the very fact that she was still alive amazed her.

"Poor Kiryuu…" She couldn't bring herself to pry any further, but she was left with a burning question. If this vampire had killed his family, why hadn't it killed him too? Were there vampires who were that sadistic? She didn't think she knew any, but she couldn't disregard it outright. She wasn't that naïve. "I'm sorry, Yui, can I be alone for a while?"

"But Zero told me to keep an eye on you."

"It's fine. I'll go back to my room. He can't punish you for that."

He sucked in his cheeks in contemplation. "Alright. As long as you do go to your room!"

"Thank you."

Yuuki waved him off before retiring to her room.

~Z~

A couple of hours later, Yuuki decided that she would seek Zero out. She couldn't dwell on the horrific thoughts that arose just with the suggestion of torture. She wanted to prevent any suffering that she could, so no matter how futile her attempt may be, she was going to offer her help in the upcoming raid.

As she approached Zero's abode, she could hear two voices on the other side of the door. She strongly resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she recognised one of the voices as Kaito's. She had hoped to get Zero on his own.

"We have to seriously consider that the vampire girl is still in communication with the outside! How would those beasts have known that we were coming if they hadn't been told by someone on the inside?"

"She wasn't involved in the planning. How could she have known?"

"Yui likes her! Who's to say she's not manipulating him into telling her everything he knows?"

"I don't think that's the case."

"And you know that because?"

"Because I've spent time with her! You really think I was playing games with her for fun? She doesn't think that way."

"How do you know that she isn't manipulating you too?"

She heard the scrape of a chair being violently pushed back, and hands angrily slamming down on a wooden surface.

"She may have had time to manipulate me, but she certainly hasn't had time to manipulate anyone else. Who would have told Yui, a child whom we want to protect, our battle plan anyway? What would they gain from that? The mole isn't Yuuki Kuran. We have to start looking at our own."

There was a disgusted snort from the other man. "What's happened to you?"

There was the sound of footsteps before the door was violently flung open. She stumbled away from the door in surprise; Kaito opting not to speak to her but simply giving her a revolted look as if it could turn her to dust. Zero appeared at the door next.

"How much did you hear?"

"Enough. You think someone is talking with someone amongst the vampires?"

"There's no other explanation that makes sense." He combed a hand through his hair, causing Yuuki's heart to skip a beat though she wasn't sure why. "I'll deal with that. Did you want something?"

"Why would you think I wanted something?"

"Because you came looking for me."

"Maybe I just wanted to hang out with you again." She restrained a smile as one eyebrow shot up in a silent question. "Oh, you thought I wouldn't because you let me out and we've already spent so much time together?"

"Kaito was right; I don't understand you."

"I'm not manipulating you, if that's what you're thinking." Yuuki decided to drop the teasing, as much fun as it was to see the unflappable Zero Kiryuu in a state of confusion. He wasn't worried or afraid of her, his mistrust wasn't so deep that he'd suspect her of plotting against the small colony, and she took that as a positive sign. "Actually, I wanted to help with the supply raid."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Ah, so there was the mistrust. Though she had to accept that she had been expecting some misgivings. Raiding meant heading outside, after all.

"You do." He said thoughtfully. Her eyes softened as she held his gaze.

"No matter what, I can't just stand by while innocent people are being hurt. Please, let me help this time!" She hoped that her honest sincerity would be enough to persuade the hunter. He slipped back down into his seat, watching her expression carefully.

"We are a few men down…" He began begrudgingly. "Having a pureblood's powers on side would be a useful advantage. Alright, you can come. But you stay close to me."

"Yes, sir!" She playfully saluted him. "I promise that you can trust me. I won't bring the vampires down on you."

He was silent for a moment. "I know."

Her heart leapt at that simple statement.

~Z~

"The people are starting to notice that Yuuki isn't here." Kaname stood across from his father, his arms folded angrily. Aido stood silently to his left, having declared that he would be there to support the distraught Kaname.

"We have to maintain the image that she is. Yuuki is a popular girl; if it got out that she's gone missing, there would be outrage."

"Our discreet searches have led to nothing. Isn't it about time we stepped up our game?"

"Yes. We shouldn't keep hiding the fact that she's gone. We should use the citizen's anger to form a hunting party. That way, we get her back, and the hunter problem is eliminated in the process." Rido chimed in from his comfortable position in front of the blazing fire.

"No. We can't confirm anything. Let them have their unsubstantiated rumours. There is a more peaceful way to get Yuuki back. Excuse me." Haruka hurriedly left the room. Aido had noticed that he was looking more and more tired as the days progressed; the stress of trying to find his missing daughter weighing down on him. He felt that the other two Kuran's were being unfair on him, allowing their own concerns to blind them to his worry. It wasn't his place to say anything, however.

"Well, I'm going to actually continue looking for Yuuki." Kaname stated, before striding purposefully out of the room. Aido gave one last glance at Rido, who seemed unusually unconcerned about his niece's welfare. He had given him his due respect as a rare pureblood, but there had always been something very off about him. He seemed like the black sheep of the Kuran family.

Kaname was waiting for him as he took his leave.

"Thank you for being here, Aido. I need to do this alone, however."

"But-"

"It's alright, honestly. You enjoy yourself. Don't worry about this." With an air of finality, Kaname left Aido alone.

He never lets me help, Aido thought to himself. Doesn't he trust me after all these years?

Never mind the fact that Yuuki was someone he considered his friend also. He sighed wearily to himself. The Kuran's never seemed to fully trust him, despite his best efforts. They always kept a minor distance between them and him.

He hadn't mentioned anything, but he couldn't help but be suspicious. It was convenient that this supposed band of hunters that the family were now convinced had kidnapped Yuuki knew precisely when she was leaving. Sure, they had decided to turn the visit into a political show, but at its heart, it was a personal visit. The public wouldn't have known precisely when the visit was to take place.

And had the target been Yuuki? After all, the job had fallen to her last minute because Rido had been unable to go. Were the hunters waiting to attack Rido? The others didn't seem to be taking these thoughts seriously, and he couldn't really blame them.

He would be going out of his mind if someone took Yori away from him… He shook his head, attempting to put such thoughts out of his mind. It was improper.

He didn't know quite how long he had been occupied by his own thoughts, but he was aided out of them by the very same Yori. She seemed panicked and out of breath, as though she had been running. His protective instincts kicked in.

"What's wrong? Did something happen?"

"Yes! It's awful, you have to come with me right now!" Ignoring her station as a lowly servant, she grabbed her lord's hand and pulled him along behind her. Something had really rattled her, and he desperately wanted to put it right for her.

As they exited the manor, he was instantly aware of the huge crowd gathered around a particular small back alley. He was catching snippets of the myriad of conversations, but he couldn't put anything together that would tell him what had happened. The pair pushed their way through the crowd until they could see a clear area in which Kaname and Rido stood.

As they saw Yori and Aido approach, Kaname gave a small nod to signal them through. As Aido approached, his heart leapt into his mouth.

At his feet lay the dusted remains of a vampire he quickly identified as Haruka Kuran; identifiable by the familiar royal clothes that were flapping lightly in the breeze. Time seemed to slow down and then to stop.

What had happened? He had been alive only a little while earlier, looking harried but not afraid. What had he been doing out here? Had he been meeting with someone? Had that someone been the one to end his life, or had that been someone else? And how had they been able to kill a pureblood?

The questions swirled endlessly in his head. He watched Rido squat and pick up something. He crouched down with him to get a better view while Yori hovered around him anxiously. In his hand, Rido held three small strands of silver hair.


	6. Chapter 5

Yuuki felt like a child in a sweet shop. Her leg juddered excitedly against her silent commands for it to stop, tapping a rapid rhythm against the wooden floor as she tried not to suck in the cool, fresh air. She had missed the clean smell that accompanied the open air.

The few days since Zero had agreed to her tagging along on the supplies raid had dragged out unbearably; they had quite possibly been the longest days of her life. She wasn't used to being denied anything, so the past few months, at least she thought it was months, had been almost intolerable for her.

Zero had definitely noticed the nervous energy that had been building up inside her. She had received a few sniping comments from him when they had passed. Not that she was going to take it lying down; she had retorted in kind. She could have sworn that she had seen a small smile; she couldn't confirm due to the lightning quickness that it had happened.

Tired of trying to see through the opaque curtain covering the wagon's window, she turned to look at Zero, certain that she had seen that familiar flash across his face. His eyes glanced down to her jittery leg before meeting hers.

"Don't say anything!" She commanded. Now the small smirk she had come to crave was easily visible; he wasn't trying to hide it anymore.

"You're like a child."

"What did I just say?" She pouted playfully, feeling more at ease than she had in months, "Anyway, you'd be the same if you hadn't been outside for a while."

"True. I haven't been in your situation." He reached out to peek through the curtain, a small beam of light highlighting his masculine features. Yuuki drank in the sight, hoping that she was being subtle about it.

She had been noticing him more and more over the days, not that she knew why. She had almost made it a life mission to make him smile freely, despite the fact that (as she had to keep reminding herself) they were enemies.

She was especially thankful for the way that he had kept her out of the harsh sunlight. He didn't need to do that, but he seemed to have a soft interior once you could see past the hard shell. She almost didn't mind being a captive. It was more exciting than anything that would happen at home.

The thought of home made her mood drop. What was she doing, thinking such things when her family was probably out of their mind with worry? Why hadn't she tried harder to escape from this man's clutches?

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

The wagon clattered to a halt. Yuuki listened out for any unfamiliar voices, but she couldn't hear any. She couldn't sense any humans, either. She shrank back from the blinding light as Zero stepped outside. He disappeared for a second before he returned with a black cloak which he threw to her.

"This'll protect you from the sun."

"Thank you." She got to her feet, swinging the cloak elegantly around her shoulders. A part of her yearned for Zero to help her down, but she squashed it down. She was a grown woman perfectly capable of stepping out of a wagon, damn it!

"Take this too." Zero passed something small and cold to her. She glanced down to see a little dagger. A faint hum of hunter magic washed through her hand. Her heart jumped at Zero's next words, causing her to scold herself for being a little girl. "Stay close to me."

She fell into step beside him, listening to him quietly give his orders to his fellow hunters. They were to seek out the apothecary; no noise, no detours, just in and out as quickly as possible. They were split into small teams of two, leaving Zero and Yuuki alone.

He quickly took the lead, a determined expression on his face. His eyes scanned the silent streets for threats, and their target. Yuuki kept up silently behind him for a moment, before her thought materialised into spoken words.

"How do you keep going?"

He didn't answer her with his own words, instead giving her a quick confused look.

"I mean, with what happened to you…"

"With what happened to me?" His attention was razor sharp on her. She knew that she shouldn't be crossing this line, but she had been wondering about it since Yui had told her. She swallowed audibly. His glare was actually a little bit scary.

"Your past. Your family."

"How much do you know?" She could almost see the cogs whirring unendingly as he tried to piece together where she had heard it from. It didn't take long before she could see him come to a conclusion.

"I know that your family were attacked, and that you alone survived…It sounded awful…"

"Yui told you, didn't he?" Yuuki hesitated for a second too long. "I knew it!"

"He just cares about you! I think he didn't want me to think badly of you."

"It wasn't his place!"

"Please, don't punish him!" She regretted bringing the obviously touchy subject up. She was worried that he would explode in anger for a moment, but he sighed and swiped a hand through his hair agitatedly.

"I suppose you know that it was a pureblood vampire who attacked us, then?"

"Yes… I was wondering…"

"Who it was? Worried that it was one of your own?" He almost sneered before shaking his head. With one more forced sigh, he seemed to calm himself down.

"That's not it!" Well, it wasn't the whole reason.

"I don't know who she was. She had long silver hair, and I think her eyes were pink. Ring any bells?"

"Shizuka Hio…" Yuuki whispered to herself, as her heart sped up. The description sounded remarkably like her distinctive future aunt. But she had become a recluse a long while ago. Would she venture out just to murder a young human boy's family? And for what reason? It wasn't like humans were in any position to incur such ire from a pureblood.

"You know her?"

"Only a little…" She didn't know how much she should reveal. She knew that it wasn't fair. Here she was, prying into Zero's past while also holding back information herself. She had one more question for the man beside her. "You don't have the aura of a vampire…"

He snorted ungracefully. "She drank our blood, but she didn't bite us." Zero rolled up a sleeve, revealing a long, jagged scar along his arm. Her breath caught in her throat. "She wanted it to look like I had snapped. Like I murdered my family and then tried to kill myself." The sleeve slid back down to cover the scar again.

"Zero, I'm so sorry…" She instinctively placed a comforting hand on his arm, not noticing that he didn't pull away from her touch.

"So I'm going to kill her. And then I'll finish what she started."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

The anger and hatred visible in his eyes in that moment blocked any words that would have come from her mouth. What she had heard from Yui had been bad enough, but she couldn't fathom the cold-hearted cunning that would do what Shizuka had apparently done to an innocent child. If she had done this, had she any right to stop him?

"What about all those who depend on you? What about Yui?" She shook her head as pure emotion threatened to overwhelm her.

"They'll get over it." He replied with a half-hearted shrug. He almost looked defeated for a second. She didn't think she could feel any worse for the man in front of her. She shouldn't have mentioned this. She should have restrained herself. A sneer crept onto his face.

"I bet you'll be glad not to see me again."

"No!" The force that she came back with startled her, never mind the lilac-eyed man in front of her. Did he think her so cold-hearted? Had he already forgotten all the time they had spent together? Did he think that she had had ulterior motives when he had come to visit her?

Remembering where she was, she glanced around at the nearby houses for signs of activity. Nothing. Her suspicions were beginning to rise. They had been talking for a while, and hadn't heard even one hint of animal activity. Zero had told her that this village had been abandoned after a fierce scuffle between the two factions, which should have meant that creatures unlike them would have taken up residence.

Zero had apparently picked up on the eerie silence also, taking a protective step closer to her unconsciously. They tentatively began to walk forward, both on high alert. Yuuki's grip tightened on the dagger, and she noticed Zero reach for something also.

As they turned a corner, they were greeted by the sight of one of their companions down on the ground. The sweet scent of blood reached Yuuki's nose as she dashed forward to help.

She heard her name cried sharply behind her before she was pulled back, something darting dangerously close by her eyes. It landed with a harsh thunk in the ground ahead of her, throbbing to stillness as the steady thrum of hunter magic smashed into her senses.

An arrow? Yuuki barely had time to register that she had been shot at before she was shoved forward; her senses detecting too late another presence behind her. The injured hunter had been a trap.

She turned back to see Zero quickly dispatching an attacking vampire before her vision was blurred by two more figures. She quickly got to her feet, keeping her distance from the new comers. She had almost reached the decision to run, when something in her peripheral vision made her blood run cold. Something that wasn't supposed to be there. Something that they had no hope of sensing.

Yui. He had been cornered by three male vampires who were closing in like hungry lions to a wounded gazelle. They clearly had intent to kill.

"Zero!" She called shakily.

"I see him!" He replied, placing a well-aimed kick to the back of a vampire's knee and using the opening to run for Yui. While she had been distracted, one of the vampires in front of her had grabbed her arm.

"Lady Yuuki! You're safe!" She pulled her arm back swiftly.

"Let me through!" She charged forwards, the startled vampire allowing her past. The cloak she had been wearing slipped off her in her haste, exposing her to the bright sunlight. Squinting against the whiteness, she ran headfirst into another vampire, who had braced himself for impact. As she adjusted her position, a cold glint caught her eye.

The feel of more hunter magic surging towards her made her eyes widen. She rapidly ducked under the upward thrust towards her heart; she imitated the move she had just seen Zero perfect, the adrenaline coupling with her pureblood strength to bring her assailant down.

The sickly sweet scent of Yui's familiar blood flooded her nostrils. Getting used to the light, she quickly scanned the area for both Zero and Yui. She caught sight of Zero grabbing hold of the now unconscious Yui, darting around the enemy vampires.

He was unable to get to her. She saw him glance over at her as though he wanted to come and get her before he ran in the opposite direction. Towards the wagon. In a flash, her mind told her that they had left a couple of drivers behind, in case of emergency. Had he given up on her? She felt like she should make a break for freedom.

She quickly discarded the idea as a harsh crackle of hunter magic sounded behind her. The man she had downed (and who had attacked her, she reminded herself) was getting to his feet, no longer hiding the dagger he had been wielding. Following in Zero's direction, she started to head forward…

Only to feel a tight grip in her hair. Her survival instinct kicked in as her head jerked back; the small blade in her hand coming up to slice easily through her silky locks, leaving the vampire with a handful of her hair as she raced to Zero.

She heard more vampires behind her calling her name in shock. She wondered if they were all carrying hunter weapons. She wasn't willing to find out.

"What are you doing here?" She heard Zero ask her in surprise.

"No time to explain! I'm coming with you!" She told him, hopping up into the wagon's open door and reaching for Yui. It struck her that Zero must have been waiting for her at least for a second as he handed the boy over to her. Zero stepped back to quickly help the other injured hunters onto the back carriage which had been anticipating medical supplies.

Yuuki stuck her head out as Zero pivoted around her; preparing to do something she had hoped never to do. Summoning up all her strength as a pureblood vampire, she called out to the rapidly approaching mob.

"Leave us! Do not follow!" She called simultaneously with Zero, who was calling to the driver.

"We're all in! Go!"

The powerful beat of the horse's hooves filled the air, the frenzied panic replacing the peaceful calm that they had arrived in.

~Z~

Yuuki settled back against the rest opposite of Zero, who seemed to be exhausted. His eyes were closed, but she could tell by his slightly frantic breathing that he wasn't asleep. He kept Yui's body close to him; a protective arm laid delicately over him.

Her eyes traced his tired features before she allowed her own eyes to slide shut, completely comfortable in the silence. She had had the opportunity to escape today; regardless of whether the vampires that they had run into had been her enemies or not. The power in her pureblood voice had stopped the advancing vampires in their tracks. She could have done that for her own sake, run in the opposite direction to Zero and headed home.

But even as she thought these thoughts, she knew that she couldn't have done anything else. Even if the vampires had been friends, she couldn't abandon all those suffering people back in the colony. It wasn't in her nature to discard those in need.

And then there was the matter of Yui…

No matter how she looked at it, she was responsible for him. She had been the one to strike him free from his deadly chains, and then cast him out into the wilderness to either sink or swim. She had thought he would retain the caution that he had learnt living under the rule of the Kuran household, but he had instead thrown caution to the wind.

Had he felt invincible after he had escaped? She couldn't imagine Zero tolerating such a carefree attitude towards vampires after the ordeal that he had faced at the hands of them. Well, that invincibility had been torn away from him. She listened carefully for each ragged breath from the youngster. There was something very wrong with the slightly bubbly sound that accompanied each breath.

She wondered how many of the ten hunters that had been brought along had come back again. In the turmoil, she hadn't really counted those panicked souls bundling into the back carriage. And those who had suffered injuries, were they as serious as those that had been inflicted on Yui? Had any of them retrieved the medicine that they had hoped to find?

Suddenly, she felt a sharp sting on her arm, causing her to jerk up. She glanced down at her arm, ignoring the slightly alarmed glance she received from Zero, to find a thin line of blood slowly seeping down her limb. She had been so high on adrenaline that she hadn't noticed the blade biting through her flesh. She had seen the familiar hungry red forming in the vampire's eyes as they had fled, and now she knew why.

She tentatively brought her arm to her mouth, licking up the flesh of the open wound. Zero made a disgusted noise and she could see his face scrunch up before he turned away from her. Maybe he hated the reminder that she was a vampire also?

He settled back down quickly when she finished, resting her injured arm on her lap for now. Even with the reminder, he seemed to be comfortable enough in her presence to rest his eyes. She smiled softly at the show of trust.

The leering injury seemed to be taunting her. Why had she been attacked with hunter weapons? They couldn't have come from the Kuran estate; her family wouldn't hurt her like this. Besides, if they had known where she was, they would have taken her away by now. Were they rogue agents?

This line of inquiry just made her head hurt. She didn't understand why she had been the target of the attack. Zero wasn't a vampire, and he didn't give off the aura of a vampire, so it wasn't as though they had been aiming for him.

And he had very roughly protected her, having noticed the speeding arrow before she had. She felt a small blush rush to her cheeks at the thought. She was well aware of how often she thought that Zero didn't need to do something, but he really hadn't needed to protect her. Wouldn't it have been a good thing to get rid of her in an ambush?

Or had he protected her because it was a hunter's weapon that had been used? She didn't think so, but she couldn't completely discard the possibility. As the leader of the colony, he had to have a tactical mind. It wouldn't be a good idea to have Yuuki die by the fierce claw of a hunter's weapon.

She looked over his gentle features; a sliver of shock ran up her spine as she realised that he had fallen asleep. His features were somehow gentler, more angelic. The heavy burden he carried on his brow was invisible in sleep, making him look younger. He was beautiful.

Whatever misgivings she had, she had made the decision to come back to Zero. He had been fully prepared to let her go back there, but she had returned anyway. If he could trust her, then she could trust him too.

She reached to brush his hair out of his face, before deciding against it and gently pushing Yui's hair back, letting her worry smother her once more.


	7. Chapter 6

Yuuki ran a gentle hand through the silky strands of Yui's fringe as she listened to Zero explaining what had happened to Kaito. She could almost feel the suspicious glare on her back, but Yui's prone form was more important to her.

"Stop looking at her like that. She's been ruled out."

"By you, maybe."

"There shouldn't have been anyone in that town at all. It has been abandoned for a while." Zero sounded deep in thought.

"What about their familiars?"

"I've had no reports of odd animals in the colony."

"That doesn't mean it didn't happen."

"There wasn't enough time. She only knew about the outing a week in advance."

"She has you wrapped around her little finger."

Yuuki allowed the words to disappear into a vague drone behind her. Zero could try and convince his friend all he liked, but she was certain that he would never buy into it. Any words from her would only hinder his attempts, though she knew best that she was innocent.

"Use my blood." The drone behind her stopped, and she turned to the two males behind her. She was greeted with silence, prompting her to continue directly to Zero. "He'll die if we don't do anything. It's too late to use medicine. Giving him my blood is the only way."

Kaito looked like he was about to say something nasty, but Zero got there first. "You're right. We'll use your blood."

Her heart lifted a little. She was grateful that he was trusting her enough to help now. She wasn't so sure that he'd accept her blood for the other, less life threatening cases, but this was a good start.

"He can't swallow, so we'll need to inject it. How are you with needles?"

"They can't be any worse than fangs, right?" She, being a pampered pureblood princess, had never actually seen a needle before. That was something that the servants… slaves had, not the higher classes. They didn't have to dirty themselves with such objects. But from what she had heard, they were thinner than her brother's fangs.

"I don't know, a lot of people don't just don't like needles."

"Of course, you're not a person." Came the mumbled slur from Kaito, who looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Kaito, don't you have duties to attend to?" Zero asked him as he waved over the medic who was tending to another patient on the other end of the room. "Go and see to Shinmei."

"Shinmei? Why?"

"I'll explain later." With one final shrug, Kaito left the medical wing. "Get a needle. We're drawing her blood."

She had heard that name before. As the medic easily slid the newly acquired needle into her arm, she focused her gaze on Zero.

"Shinmei… Is that the name of the man who guarded me?"

"Yes. That's the one. He's also the man who brought you to me when you regained consciousness."

"Oh." She had been closer to his man than she had realised. She wondered what Zero wanted with him. She wouldn't pry this time, however.

"Why did you come back? You didn't answer me." She chewed the inside of her cheek as she thought about how much she should tell him. Not all of her reasons needed to be out there. "You knew that we'd be able to take care of the other hunters. You didn't know just how badly Yui was injured."

"I couldn't abandon them. I… really don't like that vampires could do such awful things to people." She considered further. "I guess I don't want them to think that all vampires are the same."

He gave a thoughtful nod at her response. She wondered if he was thinking about the reasons for her not mentioning the vampires who had attacked her. Who had to have known that she was a vampire, at the very least. If he was, he chose not to ask about it. "What about your family?"

She felt a painful clench in her chest.

"Of course, I miss them. I miss them a lot. But I can do good here. These people…they need me."

She expected some sort of rebuke, but none came.

"Yes… If you don't mind, is your offer to use your blood for the injured still on the table?"

"You want to do that?"

"You have a good heart, Yuuki." A playful smirk appeared on his face. "It's just a shame that you're a vampire."

Yuuki felt her heart speed up. This was the first time he had called her by her name, not just Kuran. Coupled with that was the confirmation that he both trusted and liked her. She covered her face for a second, trying to play it off as just wiping her face. She turned to Yui, whose breathing had begun to lose the terrifying bubble effect.

"Yes. I want to help in any way that I can." She hadn't realised that Zero had sat with her until she saw him rise out of the corner of her eye. She caught a vibrant flash of red, and realised that she had been smelling his blood for a while. Had that wound on his arm been bleeding for the past few hours? How did he even have the strength to stand?

She got to her feet with him, grabbing hold of his arm and bringing it to her mouth. As soon as his blood touched her tongue, she noticed the distinct difference between his blood and that of the injured. It was a powerful, satisfying taste that caused her to unconsciously close her eyes in pleasure. She felt a tingle in her fangs that she hadn't felt before, and she prepared herself to bite…

Until she remembered just what she was doing and jerked back.

"I'm so sorry!"

"No, it's fine." He glanced over his arm. "It feels a lot better."

"That's good." She wasn't sure how to act now. Though he didn't seem bothered by it, she had almost lost control. She wasn't exactly thirsty; Zero had been supplying her with blood in the form of blood bags. So why had she felt such a strong urge to drink from him?

"I trust you'll watch over Yui? I have something I need to do."

"Yes. I want to make sure he gets better."

"We'll take some blood tomorrow." Yuuki nodded, before she sat herself back at Yui's bedside.

"See you later."

"Yeah." And then he was gone. Yuuki returned to stroking the boy's hair, the motion a soothing distraction from the thoughts swirling through her head.

~Z~

Supplied with Yuuki's healing blood, Yui began to recover rapidly. His breathing returned to normal and the external bruising on his body had dimmed to nothing. However, he still hadn't regained consciousness. The medics had reassured Yuuki that he was out of the danger zone and that he would wake up any day now.

She spent most of her days effectively glued to Yui's bedside. The familiar sense of responsibility was with her every moment. He would have died if she had not set him loose, but would he die here anyway? She knew what the medics were telling her, but she couldn't feel it. He was still only a human. They were weaker than vampires.

The medics had repeatedly told her to sleep in her room, but she was steadily ignoring them. She was going to be here when Yui finally woke up; he would know that she had worried about him enough to stay with him. If they had a genuine complaint about her hanging around, they would have to take it to Zero.

He did encourage her to eat, bathe and sleep. Occasionally, he would put forward the suggestion that she sleep somewhere more comfortable but that was simply a suggestion. She knew that he understood her anxiety. As such, he would try and make her awkward sleeping positions at the side of the bed as comfortable as he could for her. It didn't necessarily work, but she was grateful for his efforts, either way.

~Z~

Yuuki was dreaming. She was six years old again, and she was struggling to fall asleep. Her big brother was there, gently stroking her hair as he had done until Yuuki was able to fall asleep on her own. There was a warm and comforting aura around her vibrant pink room.

Dream Yuuki secured a sleepy gaze on her older brother's face, whose hand moved fluidly with her change of direction.

"You're going to be king one day, right?" Dream Kaname tilted his head at her sudden question.

"One day, yes. Not for a long time."

"What about daddy?"

"I'll only be king if daddy is gone. That's why it'll be a long time."

"Then, what about Uncle Rido?" The room had been steadily getting colder; Kaname's breath now coming out in white, wispy puffs. The vibrant pin had become a dull grey. The dreaming Yuuki could see a dark presence in the corner of the room that Kaname also appeared to be unaware of. The present Yuuki longed to call out and warn him.

"Uncle Rido won't be king." The darkness took a single step forward, ignored by both of the younger Kurans. Dream Yuuki took on a confused look.

"But why not?" Another step. Present Yuuki's unease grew.

"He can't be, because of you and me." He paused stroking her hair to affectionately boop her on the nose.

"You and me?"

"Because daddy has us, Uncle Rido won't get a chance."

"That doesn't seem fair." The dark presence was directly behind the oblivious Kaname now. Present Yuuki was screaming for him to run; to take her younger self and go. Now.

"That's how it's always been. So, I will be the next king and Rido won't."

The darkness took its final step and enshrouded Kaname in an angry embrace. The younger Yuuki continued talking to the empty air in front of her. The present Yuuki screamed.

~Z~

Yuuki jerked awake. She took in the familiar, boring brown and grey of the rock walls captured behind the simple bars of the bed frame. There was a familiar sensation on her head as she came fully back to consciousness. Was someone stroking her hair?

She pulled her heavy head up, and was happily surprised by what she saw. An excited squeal escaped her mouth before she flung her arms around the now conscious Yui.

"You're awake! Thank goodness!"

"Almost good as new!" She squeezed him tightly, drawing a small pained sound from him, before she pulled back. Something rolled down her back as she moved, landing on the ground with a soft flump sound.

She lifted the light grey jacket that had apparently been put over her as she slept. She brought it to her nose, inhaling the heady scent of home that she recognised as Zero's. A flush of happiness that was different from the happiness of finding Yui awake brought a hint of red to her face. She took another breath, subconsciously bringing the jacket close to her body for a second as she sniffed.

"You look better too. You were making some weird noises in your sleep. Were you having a nightmare?" Yui's voice brought her back to the present and she gingerly placed the jacket at the foot of the bed.

"I wonder. I don't remember." A hazy fog seemed to replace the images that had played out in her subconscious. "It probably doesn't matter."

"You've cut your hair." Yuuki blinked at the sudden change of subject. She herself still tried to twirl her once long strands around her fingers on occasion. The reminder of their failed outing caused a new thought to blink to life in her. As she had spent her days intensively in the medical wing, she had heard many interesting tidbits.

One such tidbit had been the fact that Zero's birthday was coming up soon. And what better excuse was there to throw a celebration party? This could be just what the downtrodden humans needed to get them back in the right frame of mind. There seemed to be a perpetual mist of despair over the colony that needed to be lifted. It was Yuuki's turn to surprise Yui with a change of subject.

"Say… I heard the medics say that it's Zero's birthday soon."

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking that we could have a party. Lift everyone's spirits!"

Yui's eyes lit up at the thought of a party. These were things that he had only heard about, and as a curious youngster, he was interested in experiencing such a wonderful thing. And then a look of doubt followed.

"I don't know. Zero doesn't like his birthday. It's when the attack started."

"Even more of a reason to do it! We just need to make it a positive experience for him!"

Yui seemed to agree with her logic, even though the look of doubt remained. In fact, his answer had made her more determined to throw the party. Zero deserved better than to have such an awful experience tar such a positive day. She wanted him to be able to look to the future, not the past. Maybe she could even change his mind about his planned suicide. She wondered if he had trusted anyone in the colony enough to tell them his plan? She was quick to discard this thought. He wouldn't want to let them down; he worked hard to keep up the image of the brave, strong leader for their sake.

"I think I can get people to help us." Yui confirmed to her.

"Thank you! Oh, we don't have to start right away. You should rest more."

"But I want to get up!"

"You can walk around a little bit, but you have to get your strength back! We still have time."

Yui pouted. She understood his need for activity. Her months of inactivity had almost shattered her sanity, and she was considered an adult now. She couldn't even imagine how maddening it would be if she had been his age.

"Yui! You're awake. I'm glad." Yuuki jumped as the object of their conversation materialised beside her. She was beginning to wonder if she had lost her abilities as a pureblood. She was being snuck up on a lot lately; a problem she hadn't had back home.

"Zero!" Zero ruffled the child's hair. Yui shrank back as he caught sight of the disappointed look that crossed Zero's face as he pulled back from the affectionate action. Yuuki had been expecting something like this. She had held back, knowing that Zero would get the message home.

"I'm very disappointed in you, Yui. You knew you weren't allowed to come, but you snuck along anyway. You were very nearly killed. If we hadn't seen you, you would be dead now."

Yui squirmed uncomfortably. Zero gave Yuuki a quick look, which she took as a request to move out of the way. She gave up her seat.

"Look at me." It took a moment before Yui could keep his eyes locked with Zero's concerned ones. "I care about you. That is why I want you to stay here, where it is safe. You can't defend yourself yet. Promise me that you won't do anything so reckless again."

"I'm sorry. I promise." Yuuki could see tears pricking the corner of his eyes. Zero sighed.

"Come here." Yui shuffled forward into Zero's embrace. "You do understand, don't you?"

"Yes. I'm sorry I made you worry." His small hands fisted in the back of Zero's shirt. Yuuki briefly wondered how Zero would act to his own child, if this was how he acted towards Yui. She could see why he cared about him so much. He probably hadn't been told that he was cared about so much while he was with the Kurans, she thought to herself.

Zero returned to his feet, aiming a sidelong look at Yuuki.

"You're done with my jacket?"

"Oh yeah! Thank you for that!"

"She was sniffing it!" Yui jumped in, the scolding already in the past. Yuuki admired his resilience.

"I was not!"

"Oh, sorry. I thought I washed that."

"It's clean." Her voice shrunk. "It just smells nice, is all."

"See? She was sniffing it!"

"Stop it!" She cried exasperatedly. Zero chuckled.

"You can have it, if you want."

"No, that's fine." She crossed her arms in a huff. This wasn't fair, these two boys ganging up on her. It was just a dumb jacket. She couldn't deny a modicum of disappointment as Zero slipped it over his arm.

"You just rest, Yui. I'll see both of you later." Yuuki raised an arm in acknowledgement, before she turned to give Yui a scolding of her own.

~Z~

Yori hesitated around the living area a little longer than she needed to. She had taken on the role of a Kuran household servant while her master was with them; Hanabusa had remained for moral support after the traumatic time the Kuran family had been going through in the recent months. She mistrusted most of the Kuran family, if she was honest, but it did seem like Kaname was taking it particularly hard. Hanabusa was also in the room with them; she could have heard about the conversation taking place from him later, but she wanted to hear it first-hand.

"We have witness reports that state that they have seen Yuuki in a town a few miles from here. Shouldn't we ask around that town for more information?"

"We have enough information. The witness reports also said that she was being held hostage by the silver wolf. Who conveniently enough, happens to be a match to the hair we found with dear Haruka."

"It does appear that this 'silver wolf' is the one behind all this."

"Well, I think it's time to make an address to the people. We know the general vicinity of their base. We know that they have Yuuki. We can't keep it a secret that she isn't here anymore. They don't believe it. And they will be baying for blood."

"You're saying that you'll give them that blood?"

"Of course, dear nephew. What better way to sate their bloodlust than to let them see the destruction of the cause for that bloodlust? Or did you want a riot?"

"No one wants that."

"So sit tight and let me deal with this. We'll have our dear princess back in no time."

Yori hurried to look busy once more as Rido Kuran passed her. The dust that had dared settle on the glossy furniture didn't know what had hit it. She felt uneasy when he stopped behind her for a moment before she heard the soft click of his heels on the floor.

His similar looking nephew passed a minute later, and she was left alone with Hanabusa. He still carried that troubled look that he had adopted since Yuuki had vanished. It was like he had aged ten years in the past few months.

"Yuuki's still alive. That's good." She spoke softly to him. The worry that Yuuki would be in harm's way must have been weighing heavily on him, especially after the assassination.

"Yeah." He responded in a distracted manner. She sighed softly. It was almost like Hanabusa wasn't here; he seemed to have been drifting away from her recently. She had tried hard to bury the unwanted hurt she felt at this. "I have something I need to do. You okay here?"

Yori merely nodded in response as he hurried away. She wished that he would talk to her; they were likely harbouring the same fears and worries. If he would only talk to her, then maybe they could comfort each other. A problem shared is a problem halved, after all.

She thought back to the implications of Rido's words, and she hoped that the 'silver wolf' would be able to escape.


	8. Chapter 7

Zero was bemused. It was usually his say so that any large (and large wasn't particularly big for this colony, he mused) group of people would go out into the cold light of day, and he didn't necessarily need to be involved. There were plenty of capable raiders to choose from in these winding tunnels. And it wasn't like they were in desperate need for supplies. The raid was a failure due to the ambush, but they now had Yuuki's pureblood blood for use. He was doubtful that her blood would have the corrosive qualities that had been present in the mystery pureblood the former leader had drank from. She was just too big-hearted for that. So he was a little confused as to why the two in front of him (one of them Kaito, though Zero had been under the impression that they had fallen out) were so desperately pleading with him to go with them.

"But why do you need me so badly? You can handle a little raid without me." He raised an eyebrow in emphasis. There wouldn't be a surprise party waiting for them when they had decided on this raid all of a sudden.

"Because you're the best for this. Come on! That can wait!"

Zero gave a long suffering sigh, shuffling a pile of papers away from himself. Sometimes, it was like he was running a day care and he was surrounded by children. They did have some odd moments of clinginess that he couldn't fully understand.

"Let's make this quick."

"Yes! Thanks." The female hunter placed a grateful hand on his arm. It was a pain to be so needed, really.

~Z~

Yuuki received the agreed upon signal from Yui, who ducked out of sight as the door opened and Zero's motley crew exited. He almost looked defeated; mild annoyance etched into every corner of his face. She linked her hands behind herself in an attempt to look casual.

"Oh, are you heading out?" She asked sweetly, drawing his irritated stare to her for a moment.

"Apparently so." His words were dripping with weariness. If she hadn't been planning to cheer him up when he returned, she would have called a halt to the plan. He was clearly stressed and had much to be attending to. But, that heavy level of stress warranted a heavier level of relaxation. "Did you need something?"

"It's not important. Enjoy your trip."

He snorted ironically.

"Thanks."

She waited until the trio were out of sight, maintaining her innocent appearance all the way. Luckily, Zero seemed too distracted to notice. Following along in Yui's footsteps, she walked hurriedly to the far hallway where their helpers were patiently waiting.

Liberating them to decorate the main living area set the stage for the unity she witnessed for the next few solid hours. The dull brown setting was quickly transformed by nimble hands into a vibrant, welcoming setting. Old birthday streamers fluttered across the ceiling while the caterers set up various tables for a rare buffet.

As the minor tasks began to make up the majority of the time, Yuuki excused herself to the kitchens. She hadn't had much experience with cooking, but she knew that people preferred home made to store bought. Sure, it was considered a luxury amongst many circles, but making chocolate couldn't be too hard, could it?

She energetically set to work, having had the ingredients set aside for her by the cooks. She had heard from those same cooks that Zero didn't particularly like sweet things, so she had requested further ingredients to make a less sweet flavour.

Yui had also excused himself from the activities to help her, but had been very distracted by the sight of a sugar covered Yuuki. Yuuki should have been annoyed at his lack of help, but she did want this to be from her alone. For some reason, she felt that it would be more special that way.

The rebellious youngster was quick to sneak one of the little chocolate balls from under Yuuki's nose. It was probably for the best that she didn't see his reaction.

"There! Done!" She exclaimed triumphantly, fists clenched in a victorious pose. She wiped a hand across her face, merely smearing the excess sugar over her face instead of clearing it off of her face. Yui grabbed a small cloth to wipe her with, the sense of taste slowly returning to his tongue. "Do we have anything to put them in?"

"Oh… I don't think so." Yui had overseen the collection of various supplies, and he couldn't remember seeing anything that resembled packaging. Yuuki hadn't told him that she was going to be making Zero chocolates, therefore he hadn't prepared for it. Yuuki scanned the room, eyes settling on a freshly washed cloth. It would have to do for now.

"Make sure no one comes here. I'll pick them up when Zero gets back." Yuuki waited for Yui's confirmation before they both headed back to the main hall. During the time that they had been gone, the preparations had been completed and everyone was talking excitedly, a cheery buzz hovering in the air.

It warmed her heart to see the complete transformation. Both the location and the people. She would make sure that the injured who couldn't attend would be included; it would be cruel to allow them to suffer while the others celebrated.

The buzz dulled quickly as their sentry ran into the hallway yelling at everyone to shut up. The excited conversation transformed into an expectant silence, all eyes focused on the entrance through which their leader would appear.

Seeing the familiar silver head triggered the planned response; the one room filled with hundreds of voices all calling out in unison.

"Surprise!"

Zero looked like he had walked into a wall. The metamorphosis from confident stride to a confused stumble was something to behold; Yuuki held back a small giggle. He gazed from the birthday banners, to the tables lining the room full to the brim with food, to the band set up on a makeshift stage at the back.

His voice came out in a cracked squeak, making him sound completely different to his usual calm and collected persona. "Wha—This—"

Yuuki wondered if she had made a mistake, the poor boy looked like he was having an aneurism as they watched. Yui decided to break the awkward silence.

He ran forwards to the older male, holding out a small box to him. "Happy birthday, Zero!"

Zero raised a hand to his mouth as he cleared his throat. He accepted the box with a small "thank you." His eyes flickered up to the banners once more.

"So, this was…?"

"It was Yuuki's idea!" Yui explained happily, loud voice echoing through the silent room. Kaito stepped forward, one hand squeezing Zero's shoulder reassuringly.

"Look, I know that we haven't been seeing eye to eye lately, but you deserve a break."

"You were in on this?" Zero questioned sceptically, "You were working with Yuuki?"

"I was working with Yui, actually."

"The end result is the same."

"Well, she happens to be right this time. It's been a trying few months for all of us. We need a night off. You most of all." Zero appeared to still be processing 'she happens to be right this time.' Yuuki could barely believe that she had heard it also. When he had stopped wondering which alternate dimension he had stepped into, he replied.

"You're right." A cheer arose from the listening crowd. They had finally received the go ahead they had been eagerly waiting for. Hundreds of glasses were raised in a silent toast.

Yuuki breathed in the happy, relaxed air in enjoyment. She almost felt like she was back at home; a much more relaxed soiree, not driven by the need for political gain. His beautiful lilac eyes met her chocolate ones.

"How did you get everyone on board with this?"

"You mean because I'm a hated vampire?"

"Yes."

"It's like I said. They all care about you. When we mentioned how hard you've been working, everyone agreed. The slacking off from work was a secondary reason, I promise."

"I don't know about that. This lot is a group of slackers."

"So you're saying that there are lots of parties? Here I was thinking I was doing something unusual!"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

Zero had his usual stoic expression on his face, but he definitely had a happy aura surrounding him. He could try and hide his own joy all he liked, but (as dulled as she thought they must be) her senses were still of the finely honed vampire kind.

"Go and mingle! Have fun! If you even can." She teased, giving him a gentle push.

"Does this 'fun' really exist? I always thought that it was a myth."

"Go and find out!"

The band had begun their set; a sweet slow song to begin the festivities. She allowed herself to simply listen to it for a moment, before she felt an insistent tugging at her sleeve.

"Dance with me!" Yui demanded, pulling the much taller Yuuki with him to a clear spot somewhere in the middle. Yuuki giggled. She wasn't sure how they would be able to dance together properly; she almost felt like she was a mother teaching her son to dance.

She hoped that he wouldn't step onto her feet; they were well used but delicate, after all. After discovering that Yui couldn't dance after all, she lead him in a waltz. She wasn't a particularly good dancer herself, but this was the favoured dance amongst vampire nobles. She had been taught this one since she was young. Remembering how her teacher had taught her, she imparted the same wisdom to the madly concentrating Yui. She was gratified to see him quickly picking up on the tips and tricks she used.

"I'm going to have to get my chocolates. I can't be the only one who doesn't give Zero anything on his birthday!"

"Aww, but we're having fun!" Yui protested, tightening his grip on her waist. She reached around to loosen his arms.

"I'll come back!" Yui pouted up at her, not allowing her to go free. "Yui!"

The exasperated call had Yui submit to her will. He stepped back, almost knocking into a twirling couple behind him. It seemed that the centre had become the unofficial dancing floor. That was to be expected, she supposed.

She caught a glimpse of silver in her peripheral vision. He seemed to be just chatting with a little group that had gathered around him. She was glad that he seemed to be enjoying himself. With that thought, she hurried to the kitchen.

Still empty. Good. Seeing her make shift package in the same place she had left it in, she scooped it up from the table. Slipping it into a pocket, she made her way back. As she did so, she felt her heart anxiously begin to race. Coming back to the hall, she lost her drive to find Zero.

She nervously hovered at the edge of the room, angry at herself. She had spent hours on making these, so why didn't she want to give them to him now? She didn't understand herself. She wasn't about to be the one guest who didn't give Zero anything either, as she had told Yui. Such an action was unforgivable, especially as it had been her idea to celebrate his birthday in the first place.

As she was talking herself back into seeking out Zero, the silver wolf himself made it unnecessary.

"You're done dancing?"

"Yeah. I had to go get something."

"What was it?" He asked innocently. She felt that heat rising inside her again and hoped that it wasn't showing on her face.

"Well, you see…"

"It's alright if you don't want to tell me."

"No, it's not that." She steeled herself. She had spent hours on this. She could do this. He was looking at her curiously, but he had the sense to stay quiet. "Happy birthday!"

"You're giving me a rag?"

"No! They're inside it!" She pouted, pulling the top layer of cloth off of her creations. "I made them myself."

She was ashamed of the way her voice rose in pitch as she said it. Zero had noticed too, giving her an odd look. She couldn't meet his eyes.

"Chocolate is a delicacy where I come from, so I thought I'd make you some. I know you don't have much time for these things." She mumbled, the tips of her fingers pressing together nervously. He popped one into his mouth. She looked up hopefully.

The look on his face was… not positive.

"No wonder vampires are such killjoys, if this is what they consider a delicacy."

"Hey!" She was about to follow up with a more coherent retort, but the words died in her throat. Her heart beat wildly in her chest. She had never thought that she would be privy to the sight before her; Zero was giving her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. The sweet look he had given to Yui paled in comparison. That smile was making her feel things she… hadn't felt before. He was gorgeous.

"Thank you, Yuuki." Suddenly, his reaction to her chocolates didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore, as long as he kept smiling. As long as he was happy.

"You're welcome. You've been through more than enough. I hope this day will help you see that life is worth living."

He opted not to respond to that. She felt a little uneasy in his lack of response. She knew that, as a hunter, he would experience many more hardships in his future. But didn't these moments count for anything? Didn't she count for anything?

A firm hand was gingerly extended to her. She became aware of the new song being played; another slow song.

"Shall we dance?" Yuuki flushed. Dancing with Yui was one thing, but dancing with Zero… something was different. Especially with such a romantic sounding song. She couldn't very well refuse him on his birthday, and she reaffirmed to herself that she didn't want to refuse him, either.

"We shall." She placed her hand in his with an excited smile. She wondered when he had had time to learn to dance in the first place. Had he been taught in childhood, like she had?

She heard a few murmured whispers about Zero's choice in dance partner, but she wasn't in a position to care about it. She was wrapped up in the warmth of his body, pressed close to hers. She almost wished that she had been born human; he could choose her as a partner then.

Yuuki! She scolded herself, stop acting like a girl in love! The thought made her cold for a moment. Was she in love? She had been thinking about him more and more, but that wasn't love, right? No, she had been worried about him. He was working himself into the ground. Yui had worried about him too. It didn't mean that Yui was in love with Zero.

She realised that she had been gazing into his eyes in an almost unconscious way. She pulled her gaze from his, the thoughts chasing themselves around in her head leaving her unable to meet his eyes. She instead rested her head on his chest as she had seen female vampires do with their partners at soirees. His heart beat was steady, unlike hers. She was a little disappointed at that.

She allowed her eyes to slide closed, enjoying Zero's secure arm around her waist. This moment was a timeless treasure that she would cherish forever. It felt simultaneously like a lifetime and like no time at all. So when the music stopped, and they parted, she couldn't stop the discontent that flowed through her.

"Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" He was looking at her in concern. She felt warmth pooling in the corners of her eyes. She reached up to wipe the rapidly forming tears from her eyes in shock. She hadn't even realised how overwhelming her emotions had become.

"No, it's fine. I don't know why this is happening."

"Ah. I was a bad dancer."

"The worst." She laughed off her moment of weakness. She was being silly and she knew it. "Um, enjoy the rest of your evening. I have to go."

"Alright. I'll see you later."

"Yeah." She smiled briefly before she turned rapidly on her heel and jogged out of the room to safety, her confusing emotions threatening to control her.

~Z~

Aido scanned the energetic hallway. No one was coming from the left. Good. He turned his head. And the right was empty too. He tried to listen to potential sounds of approach over the sounds of drawers being wrenched open in the door behind him. Kaname had approached him a few days after the public address (the crowd was disturbingly willing to see the kidnapper's blood shed) with some concerns that he was having. Concerns specifically pertaining to his uncle.

Which was why he was now standing guard outside said uncle's office, ensuring that Rido wouldn't catch his unruly nephew in the act of searching for any clues that might confirm or deny his suspicions.

It had been a long, long while since anyone had seen Juuri Kuran. It was a detail that he had noticed, and yet he hadn't. He had believed what he had been told; that she had decided to stay away to grieve after hearing the tragic fate of her husband. The logical side of his brain had kept trying to tell him that even before her husband's death, she had been missing for a few months at least. If he was honest with himself, she had disappeared before Yuuki had been taken by hunters.

There had been supposed letters, which had been read to Kaname from Rido as Aido had been told. Kaname had told him that he found it odd that Juuri would write solely to Rido; he had never received any such letters from her. And those who had been in the manor for any length of time knew that Juuri's relationship with Rido was rocky at best.

He turned to see Kaname stepping out of the office beside him, a worried expression marring his face.

"I found the letters. There's definitely something off with them, but I can't quite put my finger on what."

"So Lord Rido really did something to Lady Juuri?"

"So it seems." He turned his worried gaze to Aido. "This scares me. What if he comes for me next?"

"We don't know if he really did anything to Lady Juuri! It's just speculation, right?" He hurried to reassure his friend. He didn't like that look on him.

"I'm pretty sure. I'll give him the title. Maybe he'll leave me alone, then."

"The title? King?"

"Yes. He's always wanted to be king."

That… seemed fairly accurate from what Aido had seen of the strange man. Kaname was making the smart move, taking away himself as a threat. He puffed out his chest a little.

"I'll protect you, Lord Kaname!"

"I'm sure you will." That sad smile almost broke his heart.

~Z~

Everything seemed to return to normal after Zero's party ended, albeit with a much more positive attitude. Aesthetics wise, it was as though nothing had taken place at all. Zero himself seemed to be acting the same, he'd returned to his stoic, world on his shoulders self.

He still seemed the same around Yuuki, the few times that she allowed him to be in her presence. When she was near him, her heart raced and her breath came in short, painful bursts. She had also begun to fear that she would use her fangs; a craving that she hadn't had before taking over her mind. He made her feel things that she couldn't control, and the party had only made that painfully obvious to her.

So she had some reservations when she was summoned to see Zero by someone who looked fairly official. The nervousness that she had felt before the dance increased tenfold as she knocked on his door.

"Come in." She peeked in before allowing herself to take those difficult steps into his presence.

"You wanted to see me?"

"Yes. I would have spoken to you in a less formal setting, but I seem to have offended you."

"No…"

"It doesn't matter." Zero rose to his feet and casually sauntered around his desk, leaning on one corner. "I wanted to tell you that you're free to go."

"Free to go?" She didn't know how to feel about this. Seeing her family after all this time would be amazing, not to mention Yori, but she wanted to learn more about the hunters who had slowly been accepting her. She felt at home here, as odd as that may sound to an outsider.

"Yes. Thanks to your blood, there are no serious injuries left in the medical wing. And you told me yourself that you miss your family. There's no reason for you to stay here."

She felt an unexpected hurt at that statement. Was he kicking her out because she had been avoiding him for a little while? He seemed to see her pained expression.

"I can't keep you locked up here your whole life. Go home, Yuuki. Go and be with the people who care about you."

"Don't you care about me?" She blurted out before she could stop herself, covering her mouth in embarrassment.

"Don't make this personal, Yuuki."

"Alright. If you want me to leave, I'll leave."

"I do."

She felt a hurt anger rising up in her, threatening to set her vampire instincts loose. What had she expected? They were natural enemies. Incompatible. She had been reminding herself of that while avoiding him, hadn't she? Besides, he was just grateful for the effort she had gone to for him. There wasn't anything more.

"Well, what about your mole?"

"Found him. He's gone now. Actually, that's why you need to go. We'll be leaving this area soon. We can't afford for him to bring his masters here."

"What? I wouldn't be able to find you?"

"No." He cleared his throat. "You're too attached, Yuuki. You knew that you wouldn't be here forever."

Her jaw clenched.

"I knew that." She took in a deep breath, calming herself. She had known that this day was coming. She looked up at him as he approached her.

"Take this. Keep it close." He pressed something into her hand. The small dagger that he had given her when they had gone on the supplies trip. She hadn't even realised that it had gone. She held it tightly.

"I'll say goodbye to Yui."

He nodded his approval. "Goodbye, Yuuki."

"Goodbye, Zero…"


	9. Chapter 8

The cool night breeze whipped her cloak back and forth around her legs. The familiar hustle and bustle of the townspeople coupled with the familiar manor house directly ahead of her sent a blast of nostalgia towards her. She didn't know how long she had been away, but it had been a long while. It felt like a lifetime since she had seen her own home. She was grateful that Zero's escort had let her approach the manor alone.

The hood covered her face from the swarming populace who thankfully hadn't noticed her. She wanted her family and her best friend to know that she was back before anyone else. Taking in one last deep breath of the uplifting scent of home, she began the final leg of her journey home.

As she got closer and closer to the door, she began to wonder what she would say. Should she remain silent; allow them to wrap their heads around her safe return? Should she act as though nothing had happened; show them that nothing had changed? Should she explain it all at once, or a little at a time?

As the intricately patterned white door loomed in front of her, she decided to play it by ear. How could you really explain your disappearance to those who loved you? Especially when you turned up completely unharmed a while later. Her soft knock soon yielded a tiny click as the door was unlocked.

"Yes?" She felt a happy smile rise on her smile as the familiar blond haired, green eyed butler greeted her. She pulled the hood back from her face, delighting in the shocked glee that replaced the thinly veiled boredom.

"Hello, Takuma."

"Lady Yuuki! Welcome home! Come in, come in!" She was ushered inside, the door swiftly shut behind her. She hadn't realised how much she had missed the grand entrance hall with its spiralling staircase and myriad portraits. The fresh scent of the air was replaced by subtle floral scents from the decorative plants. "Kana—Lord Kaname, Lord Rido, we have a visitor!"

Her parents weren't here, then? She felt a little disappointed that she couldn't present herself to them tonight as well. She had missed her mother's warm embrace and her father's soothing influence. Though, she was excited enough to see her big brother again after all this time. She wanted to see her uncle also, but she had never been as close to him as she had the other three.

"A visitor at this hour?" She resisted the urge to run up the spiral staircase to her big brother at the sound of his voice. She felt like a little girl again as she caught sight of him. He looked more mature than he had the last time she had seen him; he was beginning to take on the slightly harassed look that her father had mastered over his years as king.

His eyes widened at the sight of his younger sister, and he almost skipped over the last few steps in his haste. She was rapidly pulled into his embrace.

"Yuuki! You're alright!"

She wrapped her arms tightly around him. To have her loving older brother back with her like this… she had known that it would happen eventually, but now that it had, she could barely describe the bliss she felt.

"I'm home, Kaname."

"Welcome home, Yuuki."

"What's all the noi- Yuuki." Rido didn't sound surprised to see her, as though he had expected to walk down the stairs and find his niece unharmed in the entrance hall.

"Uncle Rido!" The hug she shared with him was short; almost devoid of emotion. Whilst she had been distracted, Takuma had slipped away to attend to his duties. It was just her and her relatives.

"You must be tired, Yuuki. Go and rest! Get cleaned up. We'll call you down to dinner." Kaname told her. "We can catch up then."

"Now that you mention it, I am rather tired."

She had an affectionate kiss pressed to her forehead (god, she had missed this) before she started up the steps; Kaname giving her a lilting reassurance that her room was still the same. When she had lived here before, she had simply hurried through the sophisticated hallways without taking in the beauty of the architecture. Now, she took a slow, appreciative walk.

She had a bright smile and a thank you for a human maid that was hurrying by her, which caused the maid to stagger slightly behind her. Yuuki was going to make sure that she was alright, but she righted herself and gave her a slightly apprehensive nod. Had she always been so unaware of them that they would react in such a way? She had prided herself on her forward thinking views, but she couldn't put hand on heart and say that she had acted much differently to any other vampire. She resolved to thank all of her slaves and servants when she could. If her time in the hunter colony had taught her anything, it was that they worked very hard.

The solid mahogany door loomed in front of her. She had never realised just how big it was. After living in such a small room, she had a newfound appreciation for hers. The crystal knob was cold to the touch and yielded easily to the twist of her hand.

He hadn't lied to her. The large four-poster bed was still standing strong in the far corner of the room, just out of sight of the frosted glass window. Her vanity with the princess mirror stood regally on top and her huge mahogany wardrobe seemed to be welcoming her home. She had a thought to change the airy yellow wallpaper. Maybe a nice lilac…

She flung open the window to gaze outside. There were no market stalls set up tonight. Was that due to the traders, or had one of her relatives ordered it? It seemed like even the servants had turned in, only a few milling around the grounds and taking in the night air as she had. The more hectic activity would be further away, where the town began.

Her eyes darted back and forth in the vain hope of locating Yori. She knew that she shouldn't really be expecting Hanabusa and Yori; after all, they didn't live here. They did have to go home, eventually. She could always get Kaname to send out a summons for them.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. Now that her goal had been met, nothing was directing her thoughts anymore. As such, her thoughts drifted back to the man she had grown to care for while she was away. Along her journey home, she had accepted that this was the way things had to be. She had been telling herself as such before he set her free, but…

It would have been dangerous had she stayed. Not so much for herself, but for him. While he was near, she had been spiralling out of control; the urge to bite and drink deeply from his neck growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment. She would have killed him with her desire.

That didn't make parting from him any less painful for her. She laid back on her bed, gazing up at the rich ceiling above her; the thirst clawing and scratching at her parched throat. This was her punishment, she mused. She was a foolish girl after all.

Forcing herself back up, she headed towards her ensuite bathroom. She needed a delicious scalding hot bath.

~Z~

This was odd. The soft clatter of knives and forks and the pleasant aroma of rich food, coupled with there being actual people eating with her made her feel… not uneasy, exactly, it wasn't a negative feeling. It had become something outside of the norm, different.

Kaname had informed her that she had been gone for a full year. That had surprised her. Time had become a nebulous term in the colony; the only time days had any significance were birthdays. She didn't exactly have open access to a calendar like some of the residents did. She decided to be the one to break the comfortable silence.

"So, Mother and father couldn't be here?" The clatter stopped for the briefest of seconds, and she caught the tail-end of an awkward look between the two males opposite her. Her stomach dropped. Something was wrong.

"Not over the dinner table."

"She deserves to know, Kaname."

"Know what? What happened?" She was beginning to feel a panic rising to life inside her. Kaname was hesitating to speak to her, swallowing visibly as he sought the correct words. He settled on the direct approach.

"Father is dead, Yuuki."

"Wh-what?" It was as though the rug had been pulled out from under her feet. If she had been standing, she was certain that she would have collapsed. Of course, his absence had been immediately noticed by Yuuki, a true daddy's girl, but she had assumed…

"Your mother has been absent in grief for a while. She's kept in touch through writing." Rido took over. Yuuki was struggling to wrap her brain around this news. She hadn't expected her goodbye a year before to have been their final goodbye.

"How did he…?"

"Murder." Rido told her. She felt a mite of disgust at the relief that she felt. She couldn't have handled it if he had killed himself. But then…

"But only hunter weapons can kill a pureblood…" She left unsaid that another pureblood would be able to accomplish the same feat. That was too hard to accept.

"We did find some hair that didn't belong to father at the scene of his death. It matches the known criminal, Zero Kiryuu."

The cutlery finally fell from her fingers, pure shock rolling over her in waves. Zero had done this? The same Zero that had protected her from the assassination attempt? The same Zero who had been so affectionate to the young Yui? The same Zero who had danced with her? She couldn't equate the two.

"When did this happen?" She finally asked in a shuddering voice.

"It was shortly after you disappeared. You can imagine how worried we were when we heard that you were seen in his vicinity."

Yuuki had completely lost her appetite. Zero had been gone for a while shortly after she had woken up. Had he been out murdering her father? Was he, in actuality, a manipulative monster? No… No, she didn't believe that. The colony's affection for him was genuine. Even he couldn't manipulate hundreds of people from different backgrounds in such a way.

"I don't think he did it." She said quietly.

"What?"

"I don't think he did it. He treated me well. He's a kind person."

"You would say that. You've been under his control for a year, dear niece."

"No, it's not that!"

"Yuuki, I understand your reluctance to accept the truth…"

"It isn't the truth! He's being framed!"

"Yuuki…" Kaname sounded like he pitied her. It was as though she had been stabbed in the gut. He had always believed her before, so why wouldn't he believe her earnest response now? She felt betrayed.

"Why won't you believe me?"

"Like Uncle Rido said, you've been with him for a year. He's had plenty of time to manipulate you."

"He hasn't manipulated me!"

"We'll get the truth out of him when we catch him." Rido commented. Yuuki felt a stab of panic. Her uncle wasn't known for being the nicest of vampires.

"Don't you hurt him!" She demanded. She had gotten to her feet and slammed her hands onto the table, though she didn't remember doing that.

"After all the innocent vampires he's murdered in cold blood?"

"Were they innocent?" She asked, before she turned away from both of them. "I'm not hungry. I'm going to bed."

She could only imagine the looks her retreating back was receiving.

~Z~

The next night, after she had calmed herself down, a familiar mass of dirty blond hair caught her attention. She didn't know if her best friend had been informed of her return, but her reaction when she saw her would be more than satisfactory when she saw her.

Channelling her inner predator, Yuuki stalked stealthily toward the oblivious Yori. The startled squeak as she wrapped her arms around her in a sudden hug was worth it. The surprised bliss on Yori's face when she turned and saw her brunette friend was like ambrosia to Yuuki. Yori returned the hug with an enthusiastic squeal of her name.

"I knew you'd come back!" The mood changed as Yori pulled back, a thought striking her. "Do you know…?"

"About father? Yeah."

"I'm so sorry that you had to come back to that…"

"I don't really want to talk about it…" Only a day had passed; it was still too new to her. She wasn't sure that it had really sunk in yet. Yori gave her a sympathetic nod. Then she appeared to be chewing over her next choice of words, as Kaname had.

"How was Zero when you left him?"

"He was fine… Zero?" She would have thought that Yori would have referred to him by his nickname; as unwilling to give him an identity as the others.

"That's good. And he treated you well?"

"Yes. He treated me better than most of the others there." Yori looked…relieved? Had she been correct in her assumption a year earlier? Was she a sympathiser?

"I'm going to tell you something that I haven't told anyone else. Please don't repeat it to anyone."

"I swear I'll take it to my grave."

"Zero and I used to be close friends when we were young."

"What? You were?" Yuuki had always just assumed that Yori had been born into servitude. Technically, she had by virtue of being human. From what she had heard of Zero's background, he seemed to have lived free from vampires until that fateful night. Had he not after all? Or had Yori previously been a free human?

"You seem confused, Yuuki. I wasn't always Hanabusa's – Lord Aido's servitude. I was born in a town hidden from vampire society. The same town that he was born in. We always played together; him, his brother and me."

"Brother?" He hadn't mentioned a brother when they had been talking. Perhaps she should have paid attention to his wording.

"Yes. His name was Ichiru. He's…not around anymore."

"Oh, I see…"

"We were very close, as I said. That's how I knew he wouldn't hurt you."

Yuuki pouted a little. "You didn't worry about me?"

"Of course I worried about you. But the danger wasn't from Zero. He's always been kind hearted."

"I got that impression." She agreed.

"We were out playing as normal when we were discovered by vampires. There were a few of them, and we were quickly separated. A few of the townspeople were unlucky. The vampires were…sadistic… to put it mildly. Some of us were kept alive to be toyed with for days after the initial attack. It was awful." She shuddered a little at the memory. She didn't go into detail. "I didn't see him after that, but I always wondered. And when we saw that poster last year, I was so relieved that he was alive."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"You hadn't had the chance to know him yet. I didn't…want them to know my association to the vampires' public enemy number one."

"Yori… How did you get away from them?" Yori was about to answer, when she received a sudden call from another servant. It seemed like she was in the middle of a task when Yuuki had interrupted her.

"I'll tell you another time. It's so good to see you back." She gave her best friend another hug before she hurried away to complete her task.

~Z~

That night, while Yuuki was rooting around in the familiar bedroom she hadn't been in for a long time, she found a familiar face stuck behind her dresser where it had fallen over a year before. She wiped the dust off of the soft silver fur, looking into the small button eyes of the little toy wolf.

As she climbed into bed for the day, she found herself holding the wolf close. She didn't need to sleep with a teddy anymore, but she kept the tiny animal close as she drifted into a restless sleep.

~Z~

The following year was positively uneventful compared to the one that preceded it. The citizenry appeared calm as the memory of their leader's murder faded into the background. Rido had fully taken over his brothers duties; Kaname having informed him that he didn't feel that he could handle the responsibility yet.

Kaname seemed to have pulled away from her and their uncle. He had been willing to provide her with blood before, but since she had returned, he hadn't allowed her even once. She had been taking the blood she needed from vampire servants who lined up to offer their blood to her. It wasn't satisfactory. The past year had seen her suffer more and more from her unquenchable thirst.

Yuuki had attempted to forget Zero Kiryuu. If she forgot his existence, then she wouldn't be so thirsty anymore. Unfortunately for her, the rather frequent hunting parties sent out to find him served as a constant reminder. It didn't seem as though anyone had noticed how her thirst seemed to have increased tenfold. She hoped that it would remain that way. Kaname and Rido still held onto the belief that he had been manipulating her, so she hadn't spoken to either of them about him.

She had confided in Yori (who had noticed that she would often mope when Zero's name was mentioned and thus connected the dots) that she had hoped that it had just been a passing crush; her growing thirst simply accompanying the powerful peak of her feelings before she returned to normal. She had been forced to accept that this wasn't the case. A year later, and she had to accept that she was completely in love with Zero Kiryuu.

She had been preparing for the annual slave auction. This year, the anger had an extra burning edge to it that had not existed previously. She hadn't been as deeply immersed in the lives of humans before. Now that she was weaving through the usual crowds with her dearest brother, she felt severely out of place.

A different auctioneer stood before her on stage, calling out across the milling crowd. The line of humans that had been captured stood submissively; having been severely abused and beaten until they obeyed their new overlords. Her blood boiled.

Before Kaname could stop her, she was up on that stage; the milling crowd coming to a halt when they realised that their princess was before them.

"How can you all stand by and condone this barbarity! These humans were just living their lives, not bothering any of us before they were ripped from their families and brought here for our convenience! Who gave vampires the right to treat humans this way?" Her angry tirade was brought to a stop as Kaname roughly covered her mouth. The crowd was murmuring a myriad of things that she couldn't make out over the sound of blood rushing through her ears.

"I am very sorry for my sister! Please go about your business." Kaname dragged her off of the stage, not allowing her to open her mouth until they were a decent distance from the stage.

"What the hell? I thought you agreed with me!"

"You aren't the one who'll be punished for this, Yuuki!"

The implication of his statement made her blood run cold.

"Why would they punish innocent people?"

"Because they can't punish you." Yuuki struggled to hold back the pure rage that flooded through her. These people were living beings, with thoughts and dreams of their own. They weren't property.

The crowds were silenced once more when a town crier appeared with a message from the king. A summons to the main square. Yuuki felt the familiar uneasiness settle over her as she and Kaname obediently lead the way to the main square.

It was still referred to as the main square, but the truth was that it had been blocked off indefinitely for months. Many rumours had been floating around about the purpose of the closure, and they were about to see just what had been done.

As they arrived, they noticed the newly built stand. On top of the stand was a block with a single indent in the wood about the size of the average neck. A chopping block. That suited Rido's cruel need for dominance. What better way to take control than to wield the power of life and death?

Secondary to the block, they noticed Rido himself up on the stand. He gave Kaname and Yuuki a commanding look, which they obeyed. They came to a stop next to him, presented to the muttering crowds once more.

"Citizens!" Rido began as the crowds quieted down, "Our princess has been returned to us for a full year! We are all grateful for her safe return!" The crowd roared its' support. Yuuki shuffled uncomfortably.

"However, her kidnapper has remained elusive in the same time span. We have sent hunting party after hunting party to track him down. This is not unexpected; he has been eluding us for years before he took our lady Yuuki. Fortunately, our search has not been for nought."

He gestured to his right. Yuuki shared a glance with Kaname as the crowd gave up an anticipatory roar. Two vampires roughly handled a man who was dressed in tattered rags that must have once been clothes with a woollen sack covering his head onto the stand. His arms were tied tightly behind his back. Her heart sank.

This couldn't be him. He had been successfully eluding them for years, as her uncle had just told the crowd. Why would he suddenly be caught now? She realised that her logic was flawed. Just because he had been successful before didn't mean that he couldn't make a mistake.

But his aura was different. It didn't feel the same as the one she had grown so used to. It was…harsher somehow. More jagged at the edges. He was probably just giving them a show to keep them on side, using an innocent man to pretend that the threat was over.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the notorious murderer and kidnapper; the esteemed silver wolf himself, Zero Kiryuu!"

On cue, the bag was whipped from his head. Yuuki failed to stifle a gasp. Though the man's eyes and mouth were covered with a thick line of material, the unique silver hair told her all she needed to know.

Zero had come back into her life.


	10. Chapter 9

The crowd was booing and hissing Zero's appearance; plenty of voices screaming out to kill him. The roar grew as a large man holding an axe stepped onto the stand.

What could she do? She hadn't expected him to come back into her life in this way! She was about to witness something that she really didn't want to witness. The world around her went quiet. Time seemed to slow to a snail's pace as the two guards forced Zero down over the block. Why wasn't he fighting? He could easily overpower them, so why wasn't he? Those ropes were tight, but they were flimsy. Was she expecting too much from him?

A cold sweat broke out as the axe was risen high above his head to the growing roar of the crowd. How could her uncle do this to her? He had heard her pleas for him not to hurt Zero; the least he could do was perform these cruel acts away from her.

What was she thinking? She didn't want him to be killed in some dank cell where she would never know his fate. She wanted him alive!

In front of the eager crowd, the axe cruelly descended. She forced herself into action, flinging herself down between the axe and Zero. She heard a panicked gasp and felt the blade of the axe come to a stop just above her neck.

She clung desperately to the body beneath her despite Kaname's and Rido's angry yells. The crowd was like a frenzied animal whose prey had managed to escape. She turned to her remaining family members with tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"You can't do this!"

"Why not? This man is a wanted criminal." Yuuki felt Kaname's hand on her shoulder, gently attempting to remove her from the confused man underneath her. She refused to be moved. Now, if she knew her uncle…

"Isn't it too kind? After what he did to me and father, wouldn't you want him to suffer?" She swallowed, displeased with her own cruel words. "What better way to make him suffer than to make him our personal slave?"

"Humiliation, eh? I knew you would come around, Yuuki." Yuuki sensed a wave of bile rise in her throat. She felt dirty. She felt a subtle motion from the body under her that told her he felt the same way. "Alright."

She didn't allow herself to be moved until he had confirmed the new arrangement to the crowd. He attempted to calm the disappointed, angry crowd as Zero was brought to his feet. Yuuki gave the command to the nearby guards to take the restrained Zero to her room. She silently apologised to him. She would untie him later.

She could almost feel the angry look she was getting from Kaname, who was thankfully keeping silent. Refusing to look at him, she began to follow after the guards and Zero.

"You'd best be sure you know what you're doing, Yuuki." She heard from Rido. She didn't dignify him with a response. The crowds seemed to be focused on Rido; she hadn't received any comments as she had expected.

Now that her newly acquired servant was safe, at least for the moment, she allowed herself to revel in his familiar scent. He reminded her of herself in his cleanliness, or lack thereof, when she had first been locked in that small room. That seemed like a lifetime ago. Zero himself seemed like a lifetime ago; her constant thirst becoming a permanent part of her.

That eager prickle in her throat intensified. She could hear the soft whisper of her vampire instincts as though she were a separate being in front of her. He belongs to you now, she whispered temptingly, you can drink as much blood as you please…

She paused a moment outside her door, reigning herself in as she took in the strong, comforting presence of the man she had fallen unexpectedly in love with. A couple of deep breaths later, she felt as in control of herself as she could be. His head turned in her direction as the door squeaked open. He was wary, like a cornered animal, as she came to a stop in front of him.

That temptation was back in her mind again, but she ignored it as she untied his hands. He removed the rest of his bonds effortlessly, rubbing his aching wrists as the blood began to circulate freely once more. Then he fixed a fierce glare on her.

"What exactly were you thinking? Putting yourself in danger like that?"

"I couldn't just let you die!"

"You're too reckless, Yuuki!"

"You shouldn't have let yourself get caught!"

He was on his feet now, towering over her. She returned his angry glare; the first to see his expression soften before she found herself in his embrace for the first time in over a year. She missed her opportunity to hold him back; too shocked by the sudden closeness and the way he squeezed her, one hand lightly gripping her hair.

"Think of yourself for once, would you?"

"In my first act of selfishness, you need a bath!" She retorted. She didn't know how to react to Zero's sincerity. That he cared that deeply about her made her happy, but she had to remind herself once more that she had decided to forget him. She would find a way to free him, and then he would be gone again. Maybe she could ask Aido to recreate the pendant that was currently in Yui's possession.

He chuckled so lowly that she almost missed it. She lead him into the ensuite and subsequently caught him eyeing the room in an impressed manner before he noticed that she was watching. It was endearing to see a man who seemed so unaffected by everything almost becoming the wide eyed child she imagined he was before.

"I'll be in here if you need me." She pointed back to her room, earning his signature nod in return. The soft click of the door was followed by the sound of water running. She rested against the hard wood, listening to the sounds of activity in the other room.

As he allowed the worries of his world to melt away for a time, Yuuki made a move to gather new clothes for him to change into. She knew that they had a spare butlers uniform laying unworn in a store room five doors down from hers, left over when a former butler met a rather unfortunate demise. It looked like it would have fit Zero as she had known him before; however, she thought, it may hang loose on him until she could return him to a healthy weight.

She knocked lightly on the door upon her return, smiling a soft smile at the sleepy "yes?" she received.

"I brought you a change of clothes. May I come in?"

"It's your house." Was the reply. She ensured to cover her eyes before she stepped inside, placing the uniform down on the corner table. She considered 'accidentally' taking a peek, if only to gauge his current condition now that the filthy rags were off him. Speaking of, she grabbed the offending garments before she exited, disposing of them quickly.

Her task completed, she collapsed listlessly on her bed. The pure adrenaline that had been coursing through her veins had prevented her from feeling the raw exhaustion that had risen since her uncle's announcement. She glanced over at the clock. It had only been six hours since she and her brother had set foot outside the house. It had felt like an eternity.

"Hey, Zero…How was everyone doing when you left?" She called through the door, hearing the slosh of water as he adjusted his position.

"Those who weren't with me were alright."

"I'm sorry…"

"Don't. It's not your fault, Yuuki."

Her exhaustion overwhelmed her and she lapsed into sleep. Through her dreams, she could have sworn that she heard Zero promising to protect her.

~Z~

Yuuki spent the next few weeks in a better mood than she had been in for months, reaching a level of euphoria she had only dreamed possible before. Her thirst, still, was never far from her mind, but his close proximity made it worth it. He had performed his assigned tasks admirably well, which had Rido deeply suspicious. Yuuki had been doing a good enough job of protecting him during his stay, however; she, at the very least, was able to distract him whenever he began to look too deeply into Zero's activities.

Kaname had made himself scarce, though Yuuki didn't know why. She wondered if it had anything to do with Zero. She had caught some odd looks from Kaname that Zero didn't seem to notice. She had held herself back from commenting on it in case she had broken the wary peace between the Kurans and Zero. She needn't have gone the route of tact, it seemed.

In light of this, she was amazed that Hanabusa accepted her random invitation. She considered the two of them friends, but he was more likely to accept Kaname than her. She had an inkling that Yori had more say than Hanabusa would like to admit. She had kept the letter vague. She wanted Yori to be surprised when she saw her (surprisingly submissive) childhood friend once more.

Rido had made his excuses and left, much as Yuuki had expected. He deemed himself too important now to deal with lesser nobles. It made Yuuki's life easier; she no longer had to protect her human friend from his unwarranted verbal assaults. She had done enough of that for Zero. She had also had to spend a good deal of time scolding him; he had an acidic tongue when it came to Rido. Her personal (and secret) favourite had been an insult involving a horse and butternut squash.

"What is it?" She hadn't realised that she had been smiling dreamily at him as she remembered that particularly amusing fight.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"That must hurt."

"Impossible. Yuuki is incapable of thought."

She spun on her heel at the new voice, an annoyed pout on her face. Why did everyone always seem to gang up on her?

"That's funny, Aido. I got the same impression about you!"

"Please. Unlike you, Yuuki, I am a genius."

"Yeah, yeah." Yuuki waved a hand dismissively. A couple of servants that Yuuki didn't recognise hurried past with his cases, meeting with her own to reach Aido's usual room. She peered behind him. Hadn't he brought Yori with him?

"So that was Zero Kiryuu, huh?"

"Was?" She turned to the spot that Zero had been occupying just a minute before. He was gone. She assumed that he had disappeared to do his assigned tasks, but she wished he would have stayed long enough for her to introduce them. And for Yori to appear. She so badly wanted to see their reunion.

"Oh. Wait, you know who he is?" Yuuki continued. He arched a brow at her, subtly reminding her of Zero.

"Who doesn't know who he is? Mainly due to your disappearance. It's your fault, really."

"Well, I'm sorry that I got taken away!"

"As long as you admit it."

"Next time, I'll get them to take you!" She poked a playful tongue out at the blond vampire, who affected a slightly exaggerated look of offence, complete with a shocked hand to mouth. It wasn't often that he was in the mood to play around with her.

"Lord Aido, may we borrow you for a moment?" A young female servant called from behind him.

"I'll talk to you later."

"M-hm." Yuuki took the opportunity to slip out the back into the grounds. Aido often gave Yori the freedom to roam the grounds for at least one hour during the day. He had told her once that she was happier after she had been amongst the lush, beautiful scenery.

She remembered the many early mornings that the two of them had spent just sat talking under the shady willow; accompanied by the view of the meandering river that wound through the grounds. Those had been more innocent days.

"I thought I might find you here." Yori's soft voice pulled her out of her quiet reminiscing.

"Yori, you did come!" She beamed at her best friend as she sat next to her, her quiet warmth a comforting sensation.

"I had to tend to the horses. Good to know you missed me." She teased.

"I always miss you."

"Like you miss Zero?" Yuuki treasured her mischievous smile.

"Oh! Wait here, I'll be right back!" She clambered clumsily to her feet, leaving a confused Yori under the willow as she retreated. If she knew anything about Zero (and she liked to think that she did), he would be slacking off from his duties in the stables. He had taken a liking to their 'demon horse', White Lily. White Lily had instantly taken to him too. Yuuki was a little jealous. She had tried for years to simply approach the beautiful white horse.

"Zero!" She hadn't been wrong. A warning snort from the protective horse prevented her from approaching him. "Come with me, I need to show you something."

"Can't it wait?" He mumbled lazily, reaching up a hand that White Lily playfully butted with her head.

"No. Up, now!" She demanded in her most commanding voice. She knew that it wasn't very commanding when he just gave her a disbelieving look, but he did sigh in defeat and get to his feet. It was a small victory, but she would take it.

"You have no charisma."

"Just do what I say!" Yuuki looped an arm around Zero's (only once he had moved far enough from White Lily that she wouldn't get kicked) in order to drag him along with her. A roll of the eyes that Yuuki didn't see was her answer.

They probably appeared as two lovers to any uninitiated servants, Yuuki mused. The more vampiric side of her enjoyed the thought, it would warn off any other suitors to her Zero. Unconsciously, she tightened her grip.

"I'm not going to run away." Zero snorted. With a startled noise, Yuuki let go. As an apology (yes, Yuuki, cutting off his circulation is the way to go, she scolded herself silently), she gently rubbed his arm. She earned his laughter, laced with affection.

"Zero?" Unknown to Yuuki, Yori had grown bored of waiting. She wasn't too far from the willow, which meant that she had only just decided to follow. If she hadn't been too shocked to see Zero himself, she would have made time to throw a teasing comment Yuuki's way. Zero appeared just as shocked, though he covered the expression much faster than Yori.

Yuuki's jealousy rose in an angry flash as Yori threw herself at her childhood friend, even though she had been expecting such an action. Her fists clenched at her side, the newly formed crescent shaped openings hidden inside.

"Yori… You're safe…" Yuuki had never felt more like a vampire than she had in that moment. The intensity of her jealousy scared her. She had to remind herself that he wasn't hers. He never would be. Someone like Yori would be better suited to him. At least a human wouldn't kill him with her desire.

"Did Lord Haruka save you too?" Yori's soft voice penetrated her inner turmoil as surely as if a bomb had been detonated. Zero's equally soft 'yeah' sent her mind in a million directions at once.

"What did you just say about my father?"

"Oh, that's right! I didn't have time to tell you!" Yori remembered, "Lord Haruka was the one who saved us after our town was destroyed. He put me under the Aido family's protection."

"He saved you too?" Yuuki asked.

"He did."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Yuuki asked. He had to have known that she was Haruka's daughter. There was only one Kuran royal family, after all. Yet, not once did he mention that he owed his life to her father.

"He didn't want me to tell you. He wanted to protect you."

"Tell me everything." Yuuki's voice had an edge to it that Zero hadn't heard before. He shuffled a little on his feet, glancing down at Yori before making up his mind.

"It's time you knew." Yuuki watched him decide upon a starting point.

~Z~

 _All that Zero knew was pain. Sharp, throbbing pain all over his body which made it increasingly harder to breathe. He had long since lost the energy to move. If he could, he would have moved away from the strong stench of blood that smothered his senses. Instead, the hazy blur of dark ceiling above him occupied his unmoving sight._

 _He could hear footsteps, but he had lost too much blood to care. If that vampire came back, then all she could do was end his suffering. Even in his young age, he knew that she wouldn't do that. Perhaps she would simply watch. He couldn't remember her leaving. He knew that there was something that he should remember. But it didn't matter now. He'd be dead soon, whether it was that vampire or a surviving human._

 _A new face filled his blurry vision. He made out a combination of dark hair and dark eyes. He felt tired. What did it matter who this stranger was? He spared one last look at the newcomer, who was currently glancing quickly around the blood spattered room, before he allowed himself to lapse into unconsciousness._

 _When he awoke, he was in a completely new room. This room was white, not red. He wondered if he had died. He had heard stories told about places people went after they died. He was amazed that he had the ability to lift himself up under the power of his own arms. He glanced down at said arms, catching sight of an angry red scar running down one while a needle was steadily replacing his lost blood. He reached over to pull the needle out. It didn't look right, and he did not like it there._

" _Ah ah, leave that alone." A much larger hand pushed his away from the tube. He hadn't noticed anyone else enter the room. The dark hair and eyes that he had seen before he fell unconscious met his lighter features. Then the same scent that the vampire woman had carried assaulted his senses, and he whipped his hand away which was quickly followed by his body._

 _The man put his hands up in an 'I mean no harm' gesture. Zero silently watched him; he felt like a mouse in a trap. Any second now, this cat would stop toying with him._

" _You don't need to be afraid of me." He comforted in a quiet, gentle voice. He kept his movements slow, steady; he didn't want to make any motions that would panic the recovering youngster. Zero kept his eyes fixed on the vampire as he checked the drip._

" _Haruka, stop scaring the child!" An upbeat, playful voice followed. A man with long blond hair entered the white room, giving it more colour than it had before. Said child tensed, unable to focus on both of the strangers at once._

" _You're more likely to scare him than me." The gentler man sighed. He came down to Zero's level, a hand reaching towards his forehead. "I just need to check your temperature. May I?" The one name Haruka asked as the child pulled away._

 _He waited patiently for the affirmative nod before gently pressing his cool hand against the child's warm forehead. Zero was reminded of his mother, who had performed much the same action when he had fallen ill before. He pressed his own hands to his eyes as the thought brought forward the harsh realisation that his mother, father and brother were dead._

 _The stoic boy was reduced to the newly orphaned child he was by the comforting embrace of a caring adult. He was desperately clinging to the same man he had been avoiding a mere moment before, revelling in the security he needed._

" _I'm sorry. You didn't deserve this." He heard murmured into his hair, a hand winding soothingly through the silver threads._

 _From that moment, Zero would refuse to admit that he looked forward to the older male's visits. He would be staying with the blond man, Kaien Cross, who was the weirdest person he had ever met. He found it difficult to bond with the often silly man, but he had already formed a solid bond with Haruka. He had adopted him as an honorary father figure._

 _He learnt that Haruka had a girl about his age. He also learnt that he hadn't been able to spend as much time with her as he had wanted to, his duties becoming more demanding. The young Zero realised that he probably counted as a duty too, but he didn't let it bring him down. He had enough to bring him down._

 _The more he heard about said girl, the more curious he became about her. From what he had been told, she was a warm and kind-hearted girl. She was already well loved by those around her. He knew it was unlikely that he would ever meet her. It didn't stop him from hoping._

 _~Z~_

 _At the time Zero reached the age of eighteen, he had left the odd man who had taken care of him, having formed a fairly large colony of humans and hunters to feel safe in. He still regularly met the king vampire, though he kept it a firm secret. No one needed to know his affiliation with the head of the vampire royal family._

 _This time was different._

" _I need a favour." Zero was told one fateful meeting. "I think someone's out to hurt Yuuki."_

" _Who?" Zero asked curiously._

" _I'm not sure. I'm looking into it." Haruka looked far more harried and stressed than Zero had ever seen him._

" _So what do you want me to do?"_

" _I'll be sending Yuuki out on a visit soon. I'm certain that she'll be attacked once she arrives, so I want you to intercept her and take her to safety before that happens."_

" _And what do I do with her once she's safe?"_

" _I fear she won't be safe at home. I want you to keep her with you. But she doesn't need to know why."_

" _You want me to kidnap her?"_

" _In a sense. If you don't hear from me regarding her release… Well, I trust your judgement, Zero."_

 _~Z~_

"You… were protecting me all along?" Yuuki asked incredulously. Now she knew why the aura's she had sensed that fateful day were so wrong to her. They had been the auras of vampires, not hunters. Zero nodded.

"It wasn't easy keeping it secret from everyone. You saw how Kaito was acting."

"And our meeting… It wasn't a coincidence…"

"No… It was planned." Zero took a step towards Yuuki, who moved her confused gaze from the unforgiving ground to his eyes. "The reason I told you this, Yuuki, is because I made a mistake. I thought the danger had passed, but I was wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"There was an attempt on your life only a week ago…" She heard Yori gasp. "Don't worry, I stopped it. Do you still have the knife I gave you?"

"Yes. I keep it on me at all times."

"Good. Make sure it stays that way." His expression was more serious than usual. "And what I told you stays between us. Act normally."

Yuuki saw Yori nod obediently before she did the same. She needed time to think things over. Her heart twisted as the thought that Zero was possibly only acting out of obligation rather than affection for her crossed her mind. She left the two to catch up, her mind a blurry concoction of inter-connecting thoughts.

~Z~

Yuuki felt that she'd managed to compartmentalise her thoughts when her uncle approached her with some news.

"I received a letter. Your mother has called for you."

"Mother has?" She had not seen her mother for over two years. She couldn't contain her excitement at the simple thought that she'd see Juuri again. The part of her that found it odd that she'd request her presence through Rido was quickly squashed by the desperate girl aching for the gentle touch of her mother.

She received a simple nod in response.

"You're to be ready to leave as soon as possible."

Yuuki felt a pang of worry about Zero. Would he be alright if she left him behind with the pureblood who hated him the most? He was capable of taking care of himself, she answered herself. She had witnessed him defend himself against Rido plenty of times. He would be fine.

"I'll get ready now."

~Z~

Zero was surprised that Yuuki seemed to have forgotten what he had said to her so soon. In her excitement, she had neglected to keep the blade close to her. He had had to forcefully remind her that she may have to protect herself. She was a pureblood, yes, but she was still young and didn't necessarily know how to control herself. And if she needed to keep a low profile, it would be better for her to use a hunter weapon than the pureblood powers that sent an imprint of their aura pulsing through the air.

He didn't like the fact that she would be away from him for however long this visit took. He felt a very strong urge to protect her, but she wouldn't let him go with her. He swallowed down his reservations. If Yuuki ordered him to stay behind, then it would be suspicious for him to disobey that order. It could alert the assassin to their knowledge and make him or her act more dangerously.

He couldn't blame her for being so thrilled, however. He no longer had the ability to speak to his mother. At least she still could. He dismissed her concerns about his behaviour easily.

He waved her off privately. He felt no need to make a big show of it to an expectant audience. The big manor house felt lonelier with her gone, he had to admit. It also felt more hostile. He was aware that many in the manor disliked him. He felt that it was probably because he had more leisure time.

As such, he was more annoyed than surprised when he felt a firm grip on his arm. It was painful, and he knew instantly who had gripped him. The deranged sense in his aura put Zero's senses on high alert.

"Is there something I can help you with?" Zero kept his tone light with a faint hint of threat. The pureblood smirked back, silent for a moment. There was a deadly tension between them.

"You still don't remember, do you?"

"What do you mean?" Something had been tugging at the edges of his memory for days. He had kept the information back from Yuuki lest he worry her. She had enough to worry about, and he didn't think that she'd appreciate anymore negativity about her relative. Especially if his faint suspicions proved false.

"The day my dear fiancée Shizuka butchered your family…" He trailed off. Zero caught the faint glint of his pearly white fang. His eyes widened in realisation…

"You were there…" The missing fragment of his memory snapped back into place. Shizuka Hio was dead. She had been dead for as long as he had been orphaned. Rido Kuran had killed her before sealing a section of the severely injured Zero's memory. This man had taunted him ruthlessly about how he had convinced Shizuka to toy with his family and him. He had asked him why in a weak, wavery breath, and the answer had chilled him. _"To instil hatred in you, of course."_

"Well done." Rido seemed pleased that it had only taken a single push to bring his memories back to the surface.

"Why would you kill your own fiancée?"

"She was in the way." Rido shrugged callously.

"And what about Haruka Kuran?"

"Well, that is a story for another day. Right now, I'm more interested in you." Rido pulled something from his pocket. Zero growled in anger when he saw what it was.

The item dangling in front of his face was Yui's pendant.

"I thought you might recognise this. And if you want him to remain in the realm of the living, you'll do as I say."

"What do you want?" Zero spat. He couldn't risk any harm coming to Yui. He didn't deserve to be thrust back into the hell that he had been freed from.

"To put it simply? I need to quash those hunter bug's spirits. They've become more…rebellious since you've come here."

"You want to kill me."

"Very astute."

"Did Juuri really send for Yuuki?"

"That's neither here nor there, is it? If you don't want any harm to come to the boy, you'll wait in the dungeons like a good dog."

Zero's first instinct was to fight back against this monster, but the flash of blue that swung in his peripheral vision prevented him. It seemed like Rido was going to attempt a similar thing as before. If he was going to be put in the dungeons, it meant that Rido was likely to make a spectacle of this. At least he would have time to think of a way out.

"…Fine." He growled begrudgingly, drawing a feral smirk from the demonic pureblood.

"Good boy."


	11. Chapter 10

The second Kuran estate was not as large as the main estate, but it was still impressively sizable. Yuuki hadn't visited her second home in years; it was much the same as she remembered it. The main house had been surrendered to nature, beautiful ivy weaving intricate patterns along the pure white face. The grass seemed wild at a glance, but a closer look revealed that each tuft had been carefully positioned and tended to.

Juuri had always loved the wild beauty that nature seamlessly provided. Though she was nocturnal by birth, she had a longing for the sun that Yuuki herself shared. Anything that grew in the sun held a special loveliness to her.

She allowed her attendants to lead the way, noticing quickly that the estate seemed incredibly empty. She couldn't see any servants, which was unusual. She would have expected to see a couple at least attending to the foyer.

She had been so excited. She was beginning to get the feeling that she had been lied to. She couldn't sense her mother on the premises, but if she was still grieving then maybe she was controlling her aura in self-defence.

Leaving her attendants in the foyer, she meandered up the spiral staircase. She kept her eyes peeled for any sign of activity. If the layout of the building was as she remembered it, her mother's room should be right around here…

As she stepped into the room, she immediately noticed that it looked unlived in. There was a thin layer of dust over the furniture, and the bed looked as though it hadn't been slept in in a while. Yuuki had grown used to feeling uneasy. She decided to check through the chest of drawers to the bed's right for any clues. The thin layer of dust that coated every other item in the room was curiously absent from this one.

At an initial glance, Yuuki was disappointed. There wasn't anything out of the ordinary; a novel that had been read and reread, sheets of letters to and from various family members and small knick-knacks that didn't belong anywhere else.

She moved to slam the drawer shut…but stopped when an odd movement below the papers caught her eye. She removed the obstacles, revealing a small hole that would have easily been missed by human eyes. A secret bottom.

There were more papers below the thin wood. She scanned through them. They seemed to be more of the same; letters to and from Juuri. There were also a couple signed from Shizuka, which she found odd. She hadn't been aware that Shizuka and Juuri were on speaking terms.

But no… There was something very wrong with these letters. She trawled through her knowledge of both females, seeking out the source of her discomfort. As she focused more intensely on the letters, she began to see similarities in the handwriting, as though someone was trying to disguise their writing.

She shouldn't be here. The strong sensation seemed to slam into her. She needed to be back at the main estate. Something was very, very wrong. Leaving the letters in the drawer, she gathered together her attendants to leave.

~Z~

There was that noise again.

Yori froze, listening hard for the source of the sound. She refused to believe that she was going crazy. It was an intermittent thudding. She could swear that the sound was coming from somewhere nearby.

There it was again!

She dashed towards the sound before it faded from her ears, coming to a small, cobwebby shed that she hadn't been aware of before. She hadn't thought that it was possible for something on the Kuran's property to be so un-looked after.

 _THUD!_

Ah. So it was coming from here. Yori tugged on the door, finding it unsurprisingly locked. She wondered if an animal had somehow wondered in through one of the high windows. It was the only thing that she could think of.

Was that a loose board?

She gripped the jutting board tightly before giving a hard tug. It came away easily, giving Yori the room to pull more boards free. Whatever was trapped inside would no longer be unable to escape. She peered inside, eyes alighting on a small brown sack that seemed to be rolling around and occasionally kicking out, causing the thudding that she had been hearing.

Glancing around in case someone had seen her (unlikely, due to the state of this building. She herself had only wondered over here by accident), she hauled herself through the hole she had made in an uncharacteristic display of athleticism.

"Be still for a second…" She muttered to the flailing sack before she knelt down to untie the sealed end. She recognised the beautiful honeysuckle mane as belonging to the slave that had mysteriously vanished in the night a year before. Was his name Yui?

"What are you doing in here?" She asked as she removed the gag from his mouth.

"I was put here by Rido Kuran."

"Rido Kuran?"

"Yeah." The boy's eyes widened in panic, "he wants to hurt Zero!"

Yori's mind went into overdrive. She was well acquainted with the elder Kuran's sadistic nature, but would he really do that while Yuuki was still around to protect him? Not that Zero was incapable of defending himself; he had proved quite the opposite over the years. She knew that Rido's type loved to monologue, so had he told the child of his plans?

"What exactly did he say to you?"

Everything clicked into place with Yui's explanation. To complement his sadism, of course he wanted complete, unbending control. Sending Yuuki away before acting was cowardly, but not unexpected. Her mind went straight to Hanabusa. They needed to find him; having an aristocratic vampire on side would make navigating the manor a lot easier. And to have that aristocratic vampire be loyal to the rightful heir instead of the usurper helped massively.

"I know someone who'll help. Let's go!"

Yui gave a determined nod before accepting the offered hand. Yori could only hope that she hadn't discovered him too late as she helped Yui back through the gap.

~Z~

Rido was as giddy as a young child waking up on Christmas morning. Watching the hatred that he had fostered in that boy's heart come to life before his very eyes had been more rewarding than the feeling of his hand closing around his fiancée's heart. After all, he enjoyed nothing more than a job well done.

Of course, he also had to thank the general anti-human atmosphere that was easily fostered amongst the vampire society. Being treated as nothing more than a menace after being orphaned had to have stung. The thought made him grin anew. It was just a shame that he only had one more week to torment him before his tale met a grisly end.

"You there, girl!" He called demandingly to a young servant who had, up until that point, been polishing the beautiful brass banister. She jumped nervously as her master also loudly clicked his fingers together for emphasis.

"Yes, my lord?" She replied in a shaky voice. Rido had to restrain his urge to laugh. His power really was absolute here. Who needed to rule with love when fear got the job done just nicely?

"Send out a messenger. Everyone is to gather at the plaza on Friday at sunrise." Rido loathed the sunrise; the sharp rays of light would be beginning to claw at his already irritated eyes; but he supposed he had to make a compromise. He needed there to be as many hunter spies in their midst as possible, and it didn't hurt to reiterate to the vampire populace that he was in charge as well.

"Yes, my lord." The girl bowed her head and hurried away before he could say any more. He let a merry tune escape his lips as he watched her go.

Things really couldn't be any better for him.

~Z~

"Do we really need a monarchy?" The young vampire complained, shifting on his foot in annoyance.

"We need the right one." Hanabusa replied with a sigh. He knew where the young vampire was coming from. It was a common theory that Rido was kept out of the limelight because of his unusual ideas, but it was becoming rapidly apparent amongst those nearest the centre of the matter that it was much worse than that. None of the vampires wanted a leader who was only out for his own political gain.

"Lord Kaname should really step up. I don't understand what he's playing at, letting Rido Kuran run the show like this!"

"No, you don't understand!" Hanabusa rebuked angrily, his desire to protect his friend suddenly rising to the surface. He coughed into his closed fist when he noticed the other's reaction. "I mean, he knows what he's doing. We just need to believe in him. He won't leave us high and dry like this."

"Lord Aido!" He turned in the direction the female voice was coming from. He had been wondering where his favou- his hardest working servant had been. Her absence had been very quickly noticed. He barely registered the other vampire slipping away. Probably didn't want to face any repercussions for their discussion if Hanabusa had been caught.

For some reason, his heart skipped a beat when he layed eyes on her.

"Where have you been?" He internally flinched at his slightly accusatory tone. She either didn't hear it or ignored it. It was then that he caught sight of the young boy she had with her.

When she began to explain what had happened to him, he finally noticed how harried and worried she looked. It was so endearing of her to be so worried for Yuuki's sake, and he was worried for her too. He couldn't openly act against the current king, however. That would be suicide, and not only for him.

"He's being so underhanded about it. You know it's not right." Yori grabbed his hands, her eyes pleading.

"You're the only one who can help us!" Hanabusa felt himself melting under her firm stare. "We need to be brave now!"

"There's a difference between being brave and being stupid." He retorted weakly. He wasn't sure what she was doing, but he could feel himself deflating. Had she always had such an effect on him?

"If you really cared about Yuuki, or Lord Kaname, you would help us now."

He had to concede that she had a point. He couldn't bear to see either of them in despair, and Zero Kiryuu had become incredibly important to the both of them. The more he thought about it, the more he realised just how important Zero Kiryuu was. But how were they going to be able to get Kiryuu out without bringing dire consequences on all of them? He couldn't stand here gazing into Yori's dazzling but determined eyes, he had to make a decision.

"Alright. I have an idea."

~Z~

Perhaps things could have been better for him.

Rido ground his teeth together angrily as he stared down at his rearranged drawer. The differences in the various items locations were subtle, but he could see them as though there were a glowing neon sign pointing to them. Someone had dared to rifle through his private offices while he had been away.

They had covered their tracks well; he couldn't detect any remnants of the intruder's scent. Instead, there was the clear and almost suffocating floral scent that had clearly been produced to hide it.

No matter, he thought to himself as he slammed the drawer shut, who would believe this mystery guest if they dared to spill any details to anyone? Things had been moved, but nothing had been taken. They had no proof.

The invasion of his privacy irked him though. Had it been an overly confident slave? He wouldn't put it past a human to come and snoop around his superiors things. Didn't they always covet the things that vampires rightfully took for granted?

He doubted that they were that intelligent though. Humans were simply base beasts who functioned through their instinct and had to be cowed with threats and fear. Sometimes you had to get physical with a human because they just didn't understand their place in the world.

He shook his head. He was drifting off topic. He needed to find whoever had invaded his space and punish them severely. He needed to ensure that they would never speak of their discoveries to anyone.

~Z~

Yuuki had been wrestling with the overpowering feeling of dread for the whole journey back to her home. She was sure that her attendants had just about had enough of her constant urging to go faster, but she could also tell that her desperate need was rubbing off on them. Her thoughts kept rapidly flicking to Zero, despite her better self's insistence that the hunter could take care of himself.

Where was everyone? Where was her mother? Would her uncle stick to his word and not harm Zero?

Yuuki was out of the carriage almost before it had come to a stop, prompting the drivers to call to her angrily. What did she think she was doing? She may be difficult to kill, but that didn't stop her from being hurt. She ignored them as she strode purposefully to the manor. She needed to ensure that Zero was alright before she could think about anything else.

The mansion was much livelier than the one she had just returned from; servants were bustling busily this way and that. They were much more active than they had been when she had left. She couldn't see the familiar silver head amongst the brown and blacks. She pushed back her panic. Zero could just as easily have finished his duties and slunk off to sleep again. Or he was doing something to protect her; that seemed to be the crux of his actions recently.

"Did you forget to tell everyone that my office is strictly off limits and that no one, under any circumstances, is to enter without my permission?"

"Everyone is aware of this rule, my lord, I can assure you!"

"Weren't you supposed to be ensuring that no one so much as glanced in this direction?"

"I'm so sorry, my lord. I should have been paying better attention."

"You can make up for your grievous error by finding the perpetrator and bringing them to me. Maybe I won't punish you for your failure to perform your basic duties." Yuuki heard her uncle's hissing voice as she ascended the stairs. She felt a twinge of pity for whoever he was speaking to; she had rarely heard this much rage in his voice.

"Yes, my lord, right away!" The unfortunate soul brushed past her in his haste; he didn't seem to register the pain of their shoulders brutally colliding with each other. She idly wondered if the culprit had been Zero.

"You're supposed to be seeing your mother." Rido snapped angrily at her, causing her to jump to attention. "Or was she not important enough for you to spend time with?"

"Uncle, I understand that you're angry, but there's no need to speak to me this way!" She responded in a flash of her own anger. "Besides, mother wasn't there."

"Are you certain of that?" His eyes were now fixed on hers. She subconsciously shuffled on her feet.

"Yes. There was no one there at all. Are you sure that she sent for me?" Yuuki knew that she was being lied to, and that Rido was likely the one who was lying to her. She had always hoped that he had at least a little loyalty to his family, but she could see that her hope had been misplaced. Rido's expression had clouded over and become even darker than it had been before.

"Do you know where mother is?" She asked after a moment had passed, catching the slight twitch of her uncle's mouth at the question. His stare was beginning to scare her. If he had harmed Zero in any way while she had been away, then he had not been the only one. A voice in the back of her mind was telling her that she would never see her mother again. She stopped the voice in its tracks. There was still hope while the reality was murky. She steeled herself as her uncle remained stubbornly silent.

"Where is Zero?"

"How would I know that?" Rido broke his silence, eager to move on from the topic of Juuri's location. Some of the tension had dropped out of his shoulders.

"I know that you try and keep an eye on him. You say you trust me to keep him out of trouble, but I know that you don't." Yuuki became uncomfortably aware of how empty this hallway was as the oppressive air threatened to choke her.

She took a step back as Rido's head dropped and he started to shake. The subtle sound of his growing laughter assaulted her ears before he threw his head back. That laughter had a hysterical edge to it, as though he had suddenly found himself freed from a repressive lie.

"All you need to know is that he's out of the way now." He drawled, the laughter replaced by an evil looking smirk. Yuuki's heart was racing. She felt that she had finally reached the end of the path she had been ushered down for her whole life, and there was no turning back now.

"What does that mean?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean." She felt her blood turn to ice. She should never have left, never believed in those summons. They had been so focussed on the potential danger to Yuuki that she had under estimated the danger that Zero was in. He had too. And now, she was never going to see him again.

"You… You didn't…" She should have felt terror at the look she got in response, but the realisation that she had left Zero to his death left her numb. Rido's teeth were very white.

"Oh, but don't worry, my dear niece. You won't be apart from him for long."


	12. Chapter 11

"Do you even know who I am?" Hanabusa huffed, both hands placed threateningly on his hips. He could almost hear the guard's urge to roll his eyes.

"Yes, of course, Lord Aido. But you must understand that our orders come from a higher source than yourself." The grey haired guard, keeping a suspicious eye on Hanabusa's two companions, moved to block the dungeons entrance more thoroughly.

"Listen, she's really attached to this ear ring. It was the last thing she ever got from her mother. Can't you just help us look for it?" Yori took her cue to look to the ground sadly, one finger twisting coyly in her short hair. She hoped that she looked convincing as she glanced up at the guard from under her fringe. She squeezed some subtle tears to the surface for good measure. He shifted uncomfortably, unable to meet her watering eyes.

"I don't see what business a human has around these parts in order to lose anything here." He turned his gaze back to the other vampire.

"I don't see what business it is of yours to know why I sent her around here." The guard's eyes narrowed.

"Odd that you are sending your humans to dungeons that don't belong to you, Lord Aido."

Yori threw herself at the guard desperately, hands fisting in his shirt in order to draw his attention back to her. "He didn't send me. I'm sorry, I just got so curious. There are always so many guards around here and I just wanted to know why. I know that I shouldn't have been around here, but that ear ring really is very important to me. So please!"

She watched Yui in her peripheral vision stealthily grab the keys from the guard's belt as she spoke. How had he been caught before when he was clearly a very skilled thief, she wondered.

After a moment of deliberation (which stretched into what felt like hours), the guard sighed and relented. He was apparently unable to see a woman, even a human woman, in such distress. Yori hadn't often been in situations which called for her feminine wiles. She felt an uncharacteristic swell of pride to know that she was even able to appeal to a vampire male's protective nature.

"Fine, but you only get five minutes to look, alright?" There was a light dusting of pink across his cheeks as Yori broke into a grateful smile.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" She hugged him tightly for a second for emphasis before she deftly slipped around him. Hanabusa gripped his arm unnecessarily tightly before he could follow her down the cold stone steps. He didn't see the young boy with his keys firmly in hand dart after her.

"Hey, there was something that I was wondering about…"

Yori didn't hear what Hanabusa was wondering about. She was already working her way along the long line of cells. She didn't feel right; every cell that she passed was empty. She had expected that with someone like Rido in charge, they would have been full to bursting. Was Zero really down here?

"Zero's so awesome that he gets the whole place to himself." Yui quipped as though he had heard Yori's thoughts.

"Yui?" The familiar voice drifted sweetly into her ear from the farthest cell. The boy broke into a run, gripping the bars in front of Zero's cell.

"I knew you were here! Yori didn't believe me."

"I did believe you. But usually these dungeons tend to have more prisoners in them." Her eyes skirted over her friend. He was remarkably healthy looking, despite his circumstances. It would make more of an impact when he was executed at full strength, she supposed.

"I'm glad you're safe, Yui." His warm gaze became quizzical when he alighted on Yori. "How did you both get past the guard?"

"We had some help."

"Help?" His enquiry was followed by the sharp squeal of the door being wrenched open as Yui successfully found the key nestled amongst its companions. He ran to his saviour, taking childish comfort in the warmth of his arms.

"Yes. Hanabusa is distracting the guard."

"You involved that vampire?" Yori knew that Zero would pick up on Hanabusa's unwavering loyalty to the monarchy in his limited interactions with him. She understood his concern.

"No need to worry. He's loyal to Lord Kaname, not Lord Rido." She gripped his hand to help him to his feet; Yui only just releasing his grip on him. "We have to go. We were only given five minutes."

"Do you think the guard won't notice that I'm with you?"

"Well, you'll come from behind him."

"Who are you and what did you do with my Yori?"

"I won't let that man kill you. Not now that I'm able to see you again." She took a step back towards the way they came, but thought better of it as she wrapped her arms around him too. If Yui was going to be able to draw some comfort from him, then she would also do so.

"And you were just telling me to hurry." He grumbled.

"I don't know what will happen once we step through those doors, but if I do never see you again…"

"Don't worry about that. You will." He wrapped his arms securely around his friend.

"He's like a cockroach." Yui piped up. The tension was instantly broken.

"Well, thank you for that, Yui. I'm sure the vampires would agree with you."

Yui reddened as he realised what he had compared his hero to. "No, no, not like that! I just meant that you're really hard to kill!"

"I know what you meant, Yui." Zero ruffled the child's hair affectionately.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry!"

"Now that you've insulted Zero, let's go." Yori teased, revelling in the small moment before all hell would inevitably break loose. He stuck his tongue out at her angrily in response before leading the way back.

Leaving the dank depths was much easier than entering them.

"I didn't think you were the violent type, Lord Aido." Yori chided as she stepped over the unconscious body of the guard.

"What took you so long? This was supposed to be a quick job!" He acknowledged the newly freed Zero with a nod, which he returned. "Kiryuu."

"Aido."

"I thought we were only going to seal his memory?" Yori asked.

"So I wasn't supposed to be the one to knock him out?" Zero enquired.

"I never said you were." Yori gave her friend a mischievous smile. "Why are you looking at Zero like that?"

Hanabusa jumped as though he had suffered an electric shock, before he turned his head away indignantly while crossing his arms defensively.

"I wasn't looking at him in any way!"

Everyone turned to look at Zero as he let out a grunt of surprise. He was looking at a spot over Hanabusa's shoulder.

"No need to panic, Kiryuu, I'm on your side. I can promise you that." The familiar silky voice could only belong to one man.

"Lord Kaname!" Hanabusa exclaimed, his indignity replaced with a relieved excitement. "Where have you been?"

He gave the blond a small smile. "It doesn't matter. What matters is what we do next."

Kaname cleared his throat before he continued speaking.

"Now that Kiryuu is free, we can make our move to stop my uncle. I think we can all agree that what he plans to implement will only be detrimental to us all."

"I can't imagine that he'd stop at my death." Zero commented drily. Kaname's gaze lingered on him a moment longer than it needed to.

"No. He plans to wipe out all those under you as well."

"He plans a genocide…" Yori murmured.

"What better way to tame the fearful masses?" Hanabusa added thoughtfully.

"Kiryuu, you will be instrumental in stopping him. You hold the element of surprise." Kaname removed something from around his neck and presented it to the hunter. As said hunter's eyes alighted on the small gem, he realised why he hadn't been able to sense the rightful king's presence before.

"My pendant!" Yui cried.

"How did you get this?" Zero asked, slipping the rope nimbly over his head.

"My uncle is careless with his things."

"What do you plan to do?" Yori asked curiously. Kaname ignored her question, instead turning to address Zero.

"I suggest that you keep to the shadows, Kiryuu. Once they realise that you're gone, they'll definitely be hunting you. That pendant can only help you so much."

"I think I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"That's why you got caught, I suppose."

Zero gave an angry click of his tongue before he glanced down at the unconscious guard. Kaname seemed to understand his concern.

"Don't worry about him. I will make sure that his memory is sealed."

"You do that."

"Don't talk to him like that." Hanabusa stepped in, earning a cool glare from the now-cloaked Zero.

"It doesn't matter, Aido. I'm sure Kiryuu just isn't feeling his best at the moment." Yori wondered about the meaningful look that Kaname gave Zero. He caught the hunter's eye. "You'll keep protecting Yuuki, won't you, Kiryuu?"

There had been no doubt that he would.

~Z~

Leaving the stuffy, mildew-ridden air behind him, Zero took a deep, refreshing breath. He didn't think that he'd been down there for a particularly long time, but his body reacted as though it had been deprived for weeks. He had been noticing such disconnects between his mind and his body since his initial capture months before by the pureblood king. It was almost as though he was missing several chunks of memory. He wondered if this had anything to do with his unnatural hunger; a hunger that seemed that much worse when he was around Yuuki.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about this, however, and he didn't want to continue down that path. Now that he had his freedom back and his young charge was safe, it was time to bring about the downfall of Rido Kuran.

~Z~

Yuuki's mind had gone blank, the combination of betrayal and loss finally rendering her speechless. If she had still been aware of her surroundings in that instant, she would have quivered with disgust at the look of pure pleasure on Rido's face.

"You really did come back way too soon. It would have been so much more fun if you had come back in tears, having just discovered that your little hunter lover had been destroyed while you were away." Rido sighed in disappointment.

"You're… you're a monster…" Yuuki stated in a quiet voice, unable to meet his eyes.

"Oh, my dear sweet Yuuki…" Rido responded with sarcastic pity, his face a twisted mockery of concern. "Are you just figuring this out now? Did you really not see this coming?"

Several memories of Rido's sadism and disdain fought for dominance at his words. The only one, other than himself, that he showed any consideration for was Juuri. Now, it seemed like even that hadn't been enough.

"I thought that, despite everything, family might actually mean something to you." Her voice still had that incredulous edge to it.

"It was supposed to be Kaname first." He mused, paying no heed to Yuuki's words.

"What?"

"He was supposed to die before you. But he's very good at hide and seek, isn't he? I never was able to find him when he didn't want to be found."

"Maybe you're just a bad seeker." Yuuki quipped angrily. "It took you long enough to get to Zero!"

A wave of nausea rose in her throat. He spoke so easily of killing them. Had he planned this from the very beginning?

"Ah, but I did get to Zero. I will get to Kaname too, just a little later than I had intended. Now…" he took a menacing step towards her, his hand reaching into his coat, "be a good girl and disappear from sight."

The familiar crackle of hunter magic struck her like a bolt as Rido produced a shimmering blade. She could only take a second to wonder how he was able to hold the sword without any pain before she turned and ran.

~Z~

" _How are you always so good at hiding?" Eight year old Yuuki huffed angrily. She had looked everywhere that she could think of for her older brother, but she had had to call the game quits before she saw him. He chuckled at her._

" _It's easy really. You just have to know your opponent." Yuuki crossed her arms._

" _But I know you!"_

" _You do. But you don't know how I think." Kaname tapped the side of his head for emphasis. "Once you know how someone thinks, you can hide from them indefinitely."_

 _Yuuki's pout only grew at his explanation. She had never handled defeat with any grace. Kaname really should have known better than to act as though his young sister was at the same level of maturity as he was._

" _If it makes you feel any better, Yuuki, Uncle Rido can never find me either. And he's had many more years of experience than you."_

" _Really?" Kaname grinned, pleased that he had found a way to calm his irate sister down._

" _Yup. I learned early on how to avoid him. I can teach you if you'd like."_

 _~Z~_

Oh, how she wished that she had taken him up on his offer now. Maybe he would have told her then how little he cared about them.

For a house that had always been busily active no matter the time of day or night, it was distressingly empty now. Rido's footsteps and laughter were duelling in her ears, driving her forward as though they were physical beings.

She was certain that her head start was good enough. Using all of her strength, she upturned a sizable end table. The loud crash was music to her ears. If luck was on her side, someone would hear it and come to investigate. She then had to hope that they were on her side.

"Don't think that something like this will stop me, Yuuki~"

I don't need to stop you right now, Yuuki thought to herself, I just need to slow you down long enough.

~Z~

" _Where the hell are you, Yuuki?" Her uncle's angry voice reverberated in her ears, causing her to draw her knees up to her chin in distress. She knew that what she had done was wrong, but she wasn't willing to go and face him when he sounded like that. She would go and apologise to him when he had calmed down. Her punishment was sure to be more bearable then._

" _If you don't come out here right now, Yuuki, your punishment will be a thousand fold what it will be now." Her brother had taught her how to dim her aura to an almost unnoticeable level, and she had never been more grateful for that than she was now._

 _She let out the breath that she hadn't realised that she had been holding when the next angry call of her name was further away. She jumped when the small space she was occupying was suddenly usurped by a second presence. A hand was over her mouth before she could scream._

" _Shh, Yuuki, it's just me." She was relieved to hear Kaname's quiet voice, and she relaxed her body into his. He would protect her. "So what did you do to make him so mad?"_

" _I broke his rose." Yuuki was referencing the precious glass rose that her mother had given to Rido as a gift in their infancy. It had slipped out of her hands onto the hard marble floor as she inspected the beautiful crafted ornament. "I didn't do it on purpose! I just wanted to see it."_

" _Ah, I see." She heard him suck in a breath. "You're really for it, huh?"_

" _No!" Yuuki whined, clinging to her brother. Her uncle had always been scary. Hearing her brother respond as though her fate was sealed was even worse._

" _It's better to get this over with, Yuuki. You know he can't calm down when it comes to mother."_

" _I'll just stay here." Yuuki responded with a firm shake of her head. Kaname pulled her into a tight hug, which she eagerly returned. Before she knew it, he had removed her from her hiding place and brought her to her feet._

" _Don't worry, I'll go with you. I'll protect you, Yuuki."_

 _~Z~_

That's right, she thought, she'd never been able to face her uncle without her older brother protecting her. Maybe if she had learnt how to deal with him on her own, she would have been better prepared for this situation.

She had lost her independence since she had returned here after that long year, allowing others to make her decisions for her. It was as though she had left her will with Zero. And now he was gone because of her. Was she really going to keep running away when she was the one who had allowed harm to come to the man she had grown to care for so deeply?

She wouldn't have much of a choice soon. She could see that she had taken a wrong turn in her panic and was only heading towards the dead end of the corridor.

She wrenched her body around. It was now or never. She used all of her weight to push back against her uncle, causing him to stumble back a few steps in surprise.

"You know what, uncle? I'm done being scared of you. I'm done running from you." She allowed the venomous cracking of the anti-vampire weapon to fuel her anger. "I've been foolishly wanting to believe in you too. But I won't let you do as you please!"

"How good of you to stop running. That will make this so much easier."

"You'll pay. For mother, father, Kaname and Zero, you'll pay! Whatever you do here, you won't get away with it. I can promise you that."

"These are such strong words from a cornered little mouse."

Despite her firm stance, Yuuki took a step back as he took one forward. She was trapped here, having run herself into a corner. Her back met hard wood and her hand scrabbled around behind her for something, anything, that she could use to distract Rido for just a second. If she could just get that sword away from him, she would be able to wrestle back some vestige of control for herself.

She had never had a very threatening throw, but her aim was true. Rido was forced to cover his head as the hard wooden frame came flying towards his face. Seizing her opportunity, she ran past him.

Or, she tried to. Rido's leg was suddenly tangled amongst hers, causing her to jerk forward into a fall. She didn't quite make it to the floor though as Rido once more wrenched her around by her arm. As her short life flashed before her eyes, she could only watch in horror as the sword came charging towards her heart.


	13. Chapter 12

Was she dead?

Yuuki could no longer feel any pain, and her body had an odd, floaty quality to it. It took her a few moments to realise that the reason that it was so dark was because she had her eyes tightly shut. Should she open her eyes? If she did open her eyes, what would she see? She wasn't ready to face the reality that she may well be dead.

She inhaled deeply, a sweetly familiar scent filling her nostrils. She took another deep breath, savouring it. She let her eyes flicker open to allow the bare minimum of light to enter. The cause of the scent was a blurry figure just above her. Her breath caught as the familiar colours hit her retina.

"Zero?" She whispered.

"I'm here." She got a soft murmur in response. She supposed that she really was dead. Or, at the very least, she was dying. Her brain must be giving her what she wanted before she succumbed to oblivion. She hoped that said oblivion would never come, if the alternative was purgatory with Zero. For a fleeting moment, she wondered if she would see her parents once again.

The thought pushed her into action. She moved slowly, carefully, unwilling to break this illusion. She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck and once more taking in a deep breath. He didn't push her away.

Taking in her fill, she pulled back. Her eyes met his. She hoped that she could lose herself in that gaze for the rest of her existence, however long that may be. There was nothing for her to lose here. She tilted her head, allowing her eyes to slide shut. Her lips were about to meet his when she was pushed back gently but firmly.

"Oh, that's right. It's an obligation for you." Even when she was fading away, he rejected her. This was cruel.

"That's not true."

"Then why? Even when I'm dreaming?"

"Dreaming?"

"Uncle Rido killed me, didn't he?" His confused look softened.

"The stress must have affected your memory." Yuuki jumped. That was not Zero's voice. She pushed herself away from Zero in humiliation, finally seeing that they were not alone. Kaname, Yui, Yori and Hanabusa were scattered around the bed that she had awoken on. "Try to remember." Her brother prompted.

Looking at Zero once more, the memory came flooding back.

~Z~

 _Rido's stunned expression mirrored her own._

 _She watched the ruby rivulets descending steadily down her arm from the jagged cut on her hand where she had grabbed the blade. There was a little more than she had expected from a simple cut. Her eyes travelled up her arm to focus on the hand that was securely around her own and the handle of the sword. She couldn't remember getting a hold of it._

 _Finally, she allowed her eyes to complete the journey upwards. Blood was collecting freely on Rido's chest. She was unable to see the blade itself. There was a warm weight steadying her from behind. Her eyes met her uncles for a brief second before both looked behind her; Yuuki craning her neck up in her attempt to see._

" _Zero?"_

" _How did you? When did you?" Rido stuttered, the first cracks starting to appear on his body. Yuuki felt a chill pass through her at the expression on the fair-haired man's face._

" _How dare you try to harm Yuuki." He stated, refusing to answer. Yuuki felt his hand turn a little, borrowing her strength to pull the blade free from Rido's body. He collapsed to his knees; Yuuki held up by Zero's strong arms. She didn't think that she could stand on her own at that moment. The invasion of a powerful aura around her alerted her to Zero's lack of one._

" _You too?" The dying Rido spat. Kaname stepped forward, blocking Zero and Yuuki from Rido's sight as she was helped back. She fell into Zero's arms, smearing her blood on his sleeve as she tried to gain her own footing._

" _I'm sorry it had to be this way." Kaname said simply, lowering himself to Rido's level. He was looking into his eyes as he finally succumbed to his wound. Yuuki buried her face in Zero's chest as she heard what used to be her family member shatter into dust._

" _What is going on here?" She heard a harried male voice and the beginning of her brother's answer before she spiralled into an exhausted unconsciousness._

~Z~

"You're alive! You're really alive!" Yuuki exclaimed in excitement as the fact hit her. She wrapped her arms around Zero's neck once more, affectionately nuzzling him. "I'm sorry I left you in such a dangerous situation."

"You weren't to know." Yuuki felt her cheeks heat up as he returned her embrace. For the first time in a while, she became aware of her thirsty pangs. She was so close to him, but she had to resist now.

"Kaname, did you know what he did? To mother and father?" Yuuki asked into Zero's shoulder, the weight of Rido's crimes suddenly crushing her. She released herself from Zero's comforting hold to meet Kaname's eyes.

"I did."

Yuuki's vision blurred; Kaname having confirmed her fears about her mother. She didn't see Zero discreetly move aside so Kaname could hold her as she began to sob uncontrollably. They had gone from a family of five to two in the course of two years. She would never see her parents again. Guilt ate away at her as she realised that her mother must have been dead the whole time. She wasn't sure how to handle such loss, and in such a brutal way too.

"I'm sorry, Yuuki." He whispered into her ear. "I should have done more."

"No, it's not your fault." She replied. Between her sobs, she could hear the other three occupants of the room whispering amongst themselves. Kaname didn't let her go until her sobs had quieted and finally ended. She unconsciously looked for Zero. She was pleased when she met his and discovered that he was watching her.

"Lord Kaname, what should we do about the public address on Friday?" Aido asked quietly, as though he would cause damage to Yuuki if he spoke normally. She would later be informed that this had been an urgent matter of discussion amongst both the vampire population and human. Audiences that had mandatory attendance were few and far between.

"I will go ahead with it. I have some important announcements to make." Kaname replied. Hanabusa bowed his head in acknowledgement before placing a gentle hand on Yori's back to guide her out. She glanced worriedly at Yuuki, whom she hadn't had a chance to speak to yet, and received a shaky smile from her distressed friend. They would talk later.

"I assume that you'll be taking Rido's place as ruler?" Zero asked. Yuuki took what pleasure she could from the fact that he was subtly, and probably subconsciously, moving closer to her. Kaname allowed him the room to approach her, though Yuuki could see some resentment in his eyes.

"Yes. I think the time has come for me to shoulder my responsibilities."

"Will you be alright, Kaname?" Yuuki asked. She pushed herself to her feet as she asked the question.

"I will be fine, Yuuki. Opposition should be minimal. Especially once I tell them the truth." Yuuki hoped for Kaname's sake that what he said was true. She saw Kaname's eyes flicker down to her left and followed his gaze with a quick look. She quickly pulled the hand that she had unconsciously used to grab hold of Zero's sleeve away. She heard a soft snort of laughter. "I should prepare. I'll leave you in Kiryuu's capable hands."

Yuuki nodded. As she watched his retreating back, she felt that something else in her life had irrevocably changed.

~Z~

"Is she asleep?" The soft female voice asked in a whisper.

"Like a baby." The male voice responded, closing the door behind him with an unobtrusive click. He heard the occupant of the room murmur and turn over under her covers.

"I didn't get to talk to her today…" Yori lamented. Her best friend had spent the rest of her admittedly short day with Zero. She didn't begrudge Yuuki her choice, however. They hadn't spent countless days discussing Yuuki's never fading feelings for the man for nothing.

"You will." He responded. "She's not going anywhere."

"I know that. It's just, I feel like I should be there for her."

"She appreciates whatever you can do for her."

"Thank you, Zero." She smiled. He really was just as kind as she remembered. It was impressive, given what he had been through. What they had both been through.

Their meandering came to a close when they found a cosy garden bench to relax on. Yori lifted her tired feet into the air, letting the weightlessness take them. Hanabusa had kept her fairly busy after they had left Yuuki's room. She took the moment to stretch out her arms too, relishing in the pull of her muscles.

"You must be tired too, Zero."

"Hn?"

"You've been through a lot yourself, you know."

"It's fine." Zero closed his eyes and rested his head on the cool wood. Yori could see why so many women fell so easily for him. He had a radiant glow about him as he bathed in the early morning light.

"I've been wondering, Zero…" Yori started, gazing up at the sky. She could still faintly see the outline of the stars. "Since we reunited, you've been getting this look…"

Yori could feel his curious gaze on her. She continued.

"Like you're trying really hard to remember something you forgot long ago. And I know that many years have passed since that time… but there's something so different about you that I can't put my finger on. Are you really fine?"

He was silent for such a long moment that Yori worried she had crossed a line. She had said it herself, after all. There had been many years between their meetings. Maybe he wasn't the same Zero she had known before.

"You're right." He finally sighed. "It feels like there've been gaps in my memory. And it doesn't feel like they're there naturally."

"Do you think that Rido's been playing with your memory?" Yori couldn't think of anyone else who could have. Yuuki wouldn't do anything so heartless, and Kaname hadn't been around. No other vampires had even gotten close to the cautious hunter.

"Maybe. I don't know."

"Are you going to talk to Yuuki about it?"

"I don't want to worry her. She has enough on her plate right now." Zero's head returned to the firm backing, now gazing up into the glowing pink sky. Yori sighed quietly to herself. He looked so troubled. Maybe she shouldn't have brought this up.

"She'll end up worrying more if you don't tell her."

"Yeah, she will." He looked like he wasn't too pleased with that. "Maybe my memories will return before she notices anything."

They shared another moment of silence, both gazing up at the sky as they considered their next words. Yori wasn't entirely sure that she should breach the next subject. It was as personal as it could be. But she had a feeling that this could help both Zero and Yuuki in the future. Best to give Zero this nudge now.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

"Something else?" Zero's response was cagey. Yori took a deep breath.

"You can trust me, Zero."

"What are you getting at?"

"When you're around Yuuki…" She paused, sucked in another deep breath and spoke the words that would change their relationship forever.

~Z~

The air buzzed with the uneasy drone of the surrounding crowd. Yuuki pulled her hood up further over her head. She didn't want anyone to know who she was here. She felt Zero do the same next to her.

"What do you think this is about?" A female vampire asked in front of them.

"Maybe a marriage announcement? Lady Yuuki is of age, and the royal family has diminished lately…" A male vampire responded. He didn't sound too convinced himself. The general confusion was almost palpable as the volume rose.

Yuuki could see that the crowd was getting progressively more impatient. The vampires were longing to begin their end of day ritual, and the humans were eager to begin their tasks. The quicker they completed these tasks, the more time they would have for themselves.

And all of a sudden, the noise stopped. All eyes were focused on the newly emerging figure as he made his way on stage. Yuuki grabbed Zero's arm. He moved closer to her, providing her with a simple support. She was thankful for her hawk-like vision as she watched her brother open his mouth to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, vampires and humans alike. I wish we could have gathered you here today under happier circumstances. Instead, I have some grave news to share with you all."

Speculative murmuring broke out once more. Kaname allowed the assembled masses to talk themselves out before he continued.

"As some of you may be aware, my uncle Rido was actually the one who gave the order for all of you to be here. Due to some unfortunate circumstances, my uncle is no longer with us."

This time, the outburst was more powerful than before, the energy of the crowd almost overwhelming in its ferocity. Yuuki could hear the worry from the more pro-monarchy members of the gathering. She felt Zero's hand grip hers comfortingly. She hadn't realised that she had let his arm go.

"He was also the criminal behind the disappearance of my mother and the murder of my father. He was attempting to harm my younger sister, Yuuki, and we had no choice but to step in and end his life."

"Where is Lady Yuuki?" An irate sounding voice from somewhere in the centre called out, prompting others to shout in agreement. Zero's grip on her hand tightened.

"You must understand that she has had a very trying time and is currently resting. She will be available for public appearances once more in the near future. We have discussed our options, and we have come to the decision that I will be resuming my role as king, if you all will have me."

Yuuki felt relief wash over her at the mostly positive reaction from the crowd. She was glad to see that he still had his popularity despite what each individual thought of his disappearance.

"See? You were worrying about nothing." She heard Zero's reassuring lilt in her ear.

"Like you didn't worry a little bit too!" She responded teasingly, giving him a gentle nudge with her body. She had a feeling that she only had some give because he hadn't been expecting it.

"I'll never worry about him." She rolled her eyes. She still didn't understand why Zero disliked Kaname. As far as she was aware, he hadn't done anything to deserve it. The pair's attention was drawn back to Kaname. They had missed the beginning of this segment.

"As my sister has planted the seed, I hope that I will now be able to nurture it and make it grow. Whilst the law will not be put into effect immediately, I urge my vampire brethren to look inside themselves and consider the correct course of action regarding their humans."

Ah. He was going ahead with the plan to abolish the slavery of humans. The sounds around them were evenly mixed. She hoped that those opposed to the new law would not cause any trouble. She knew that Kaname wouldn't mention nurturing the seed if this was all he planned to do, however.

She didn't enjoy the nervous squirming of the human portion of the crowd, but the more supportive vampires had formed a protective cordon around them. That was a good sign.

"I think I'll survey the crowd." Zero said quietly to her, untangling his hand from hers. She nodded. She would do the same. The two moved in opposite directions, subtly policing the crowd as the new king continued his speech.

~Z~

This was a bad idea.

The door clicked shut behind her. Yuuki had been reaching master levels of self-restraint over the past few months in regard to her thirst, but the past few exhausting hours had been quickly eroding that. She and Zero had both stayed behind after Kaname's speech had reached it's conclusion to keep a close eye on the more resistant forces in the group, lest they attack the powerless humans in frustration.

She was alone with Zero now. The thought sent a powerful wave of thirst through her body and she felt a dull ache in her fangs. She felt that familiar fear creeping in; she could kill him. But this urge…

"That was tiring…" He sighed behind her, a soft rustle indicating that he was removing the cloak. She was _alone_ with him. There was no Hanabusa, Yori or Kaname to stop her from doing as she pleased. She shook her head desperately.

"Yeah…" The cloak was thrown elegantly over an available chair. Yuuki's attempts would be nowhere near as graceful. She pulled the hood tighter around her head, providing a cloth barrier between her fangs and Zero. Should she kick him out?

"Yuuki? Are you okay?" She hadn't noticed him coming closer to her until she felt his body heat. She looked into his concerned eyes and breathed in the sweet aroma of the blood that sang to her from under his skin. The combination of exhaustion, his closeness and the resulting overwhelming thirst finally got the better of her.

The self-control that she had carefully nurtured cracked. She caught her companion by surprise, she heard him begin to call her name as she pushed him back forcefully into the wall and brought her face close to his neck.

Once more, she nuzzled against his throat. His scent was as pleasing to her as it had always been, perfectly mixed with the relaxing warmth of him. She wondered if his blood would taste just as sweet.

She gave an explorative lick, enjoying the feel of his steady pulse under her tongue. She could feel her own breathing become more ragged as her body reacted to the closeness of his. Her fangs were resting above his vein before a single thought stopped her movement.

What are you doing? He'll die if you do this.

She began to pull away, feeling her face begin to heat up in humiliation at her lack of control. She was pulled back, his arms encircling her.

"It's okay, Yuuki." He whispered into her ear.

She blinked in surprise. Was he offering her his blood? Didn't he realise what danger he was putting himself in? Not only could she kill him, but if he survived, he would become…

Oh.

"You're a vampire." Her conscious mind finally realised what she had instinctively known all along. The jagged aura that she had been unable to identify on that day long ago was that of a newly-turned vampire. Turned vampires were a rarity, and the last time she had felt that aura had been when she was very young. The details of tha incident rushed back to her as though they had just been waiting below the surface of her memory. Her uncle had been punished for that.

"You finally noticed."

"I'm sorry, Zero." Her fangs were begging her to bury them in his very inviting neck, but she had to ignore the urge. She had struggled to hold herself back as a born vampire, but she had never really seen him suffer with his. How was he able to deal with it so easily?

"You don't want to drink, now?" He chuckled. The vibrations against her sensitive ear made her body heat up. Was he testing her? He had always looked at her in disgust when he had noticed her thirst. But that wasn't exactly true, was it? When had he stopped looking at her in that way?

"How have you been…?" She cut herself off. The question had leapt unbidden to her lips, and she wasn't sure how he would react to it. He knew what she was going to ask, however.

"Honestly, I don't know." He murmured. Another thought crossed her mind.

"If my uncle turned you, how were you able to hurt him?" She had always been told that turned vampires were unable to act against their master's wishes. She had always assumed that not being able to harm them came part and parcel within that contract.

"No force will be strong enough to stop me from protecting you." Once more, her heart skipped a beat. He continued. "You don't need to hold back anymore, Yuuki. I know you've been craving blood for a long time now."

At his permissive words, Yuuki finally allowed herself to sink her fangs into his throat.

Ah. So this was what her mother had been telling her about. The heat that had built inside her cooled as the first delicious drops touched her tongue. All of her anxieties seemed so insignificant in the moment before they melted away. Zero's blood was so much more satisfying than Kanames' had ever been. She pressed one slim leg between his to pull herself closer. In this intimate moment, she wanted to be as close to him as possible.

She heard a soft moan. It was deep and throaty and shot straight through her like a spark. She pulled away. His blood was the finest delicacy, but she didn't want to drink too much and cause him harm. Her family had done enough to hurt him without her adding to it.

She was certain that her gulp was audible as her eyes met his half-lidded ones. He was looking at her with pure hunger, the red tinge to his eyes only adding to his attractiveness. Yuuki was the next one to be pressed against the wall, his leg taking the position that hers had a second before. He had her arms pinned to the wall, leaving her unable to escape. She could feel her excitement building.

No words were spoken. Yuuki craned her neck to the side in offering, giving him the permission that he had also given her. She hadn't thought that being bitten would be so much more pleasurable when it was done by the one she loved.


	14. Chapter 13

The next few months passed by in a blur for Yuuki. The general public unrest that accompanied a sudden political change was demanding both her's and Kaname's attention, and both were often unable to be alone with each other or without. The rare times that Yuuki could spend out of the public eye, she spent with Zero.

She often found herself exhausted, needing to resolve the lesser conflicts between the citizens that Kaname simply didn't have time for, but the exhaustion quickly melted away with Zero's gentle teasing. He was always there in those moments where the reality of her situation knocked the breath from Yuuki's lungs.

Though they had already been laid to rest, a public funeral was held as a proper farewell to the recently deceased family members. It was as though the heavens themselves were mourning their loss, the sky clouding over with a thunderous grey and the rain was falling at an almost painful speed.

The process ripped open anew her healing wounds, and she had never been more grateful for a comforting arm over her shoulders. She was thankful for Kaname's larger presence dwarfing hers. Though she knew that no one would blame her for the tears she was shedding, she still felt as though she was wrongly on display.

Although she had always sought out Kaname to console her when she was younger, she found that he wasn't enough anymore. Not that he wasn't appreciated, he still certainly was, but what she really wanted at that moment was Zero.

She tried to hold herself together until the dour event ended. She muddled her way through her goodbyes, having to stop herself several times to bring herself back under control. Once she had gone through all the motions that she needed to for the sake of their public, she pulled Zero aside. In the privacy of the small side room, she let herself fall to pieces in his arms. Here, she could truly be herself.

Her grief became easier to deal with after the event. She had been given an opportunity to say goodbye to her loved ones; she had even said a few words for Rido. Though she had always been afraid of him, they had had some good times together when she was very young. She was just sorry that things had occurred the way they had.

Simultaneously, the unrest began to show signs of calming down. It wasn't over completely; they would be foolish to believe otherwise, but Yuuki found herself able to escape her adoring public a lot more often. Kaname, however, was still largely unseen in the more relaxed areas of the manor. It wasn't long after this point that she had a full twenty-four hours to herself.

Yuuki stretched, her hands locking together over her head. The sunlight was mild enough not to irritate her eyes, which she was grateful for. She had never much enjoyed being confined to the darker night hours. The day extended out before her. She hadn't had a whole day to use for herself for months, and she had forgotten how she was supposed to spend that time.

She sighed softly to herself, one hand running over something soft in her pocket. She pulled the little toy wolf free. Despite the years, it still looked as though it were brand new. It must be magic, Yuuki thought to herself. She caught a flash of colour similar to the wolf's in her peripheral vision. She made a beeline towards her favourite man.

"Zero!" She called, holding the little plush out towards him. She giggled at the look of mild surprise on his face when it met with the soft pelt of the tiny wolf. He raised an eyebrow, asking her a silent question.

"Isn't he cute? His name is Rei." She saw the corner of his mouth twitch upwards for an instant. "A merchant gave him to me."

"I wouldn't have thought that merchants would want to sell a silver wolf." He mused, running a single slender finger down the fluffy front.

"I suppose that she wasn't one for politics. She's been doing rather well, actually." Yuuki beamed. Her face fell as a thought struck her. "I really want to repay her kindness but she won't accept any money."

"Well, can you think of anything else that she would like?"

She buried her own face in the plush, enjoying the sensation as she wracked her brains.

"Maybe Kaname would let her use our summer home for vacations?" She wondered aloud as she raised her head.

"I'm sure he won't notice. He won't be going there very often anymore."

Yuuki frowned. She couldn't always be around Kaname, but she hoped that he would take time for himself every once in a while. It would do him no good to be working constantly. She was brought back to the present by a warm hand gently patting her head.

"I'm sure he can handle a bit of hard work." There was something in his tone that didn't sit right with Yuuki.

"What are you implying?"

"Nothing at all." Zero looked a bit too innocent for her liking. She considered removing his hand from her head, but then she decided to let his snipe go. He wasn't exactly inaccurate in what he had said.

"Speaking of our summer home, would you like to go with me sometime?" Even though she had been the one to speak them, the words caught her by surprise. He opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off in her embarrassment. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to, or if you think it'd be weird, us being _alone_ alone, I just thought it would be nice to get away from it all for a couple of weeks. I mean, it wouldn't have to be weeks if you didn't want to, it could only be a couple of days, or not at all, like I said!"

What was she doing? She was the one making it weird!

Shut up, Yuuki! She thought vainly to herself. Why must you babble like this? Sure, the two of them had a blood swapping arrangement now, and they spent a lot of time together besides; but what if he was just comforting her in her time of need? What if he was only acting on her father's wishes? What if he didn't want to be alone with her somewhere there would be no escape?

What if she didn't mean as much to him as he meant to her?

Though she had heavy access to his blood, she had never once thought to pry. It would be the height of rudeness to poke around his heart without his permission.

She became aware of a low rumble which was coming from Zero's direction, which quickly grew into something more. Had she heard this glorious sound before? She didn't think so. If she had, it had been a mere shadow of what she could hear now.

She pouted thought the silky sound of his laughter warmed her heart. His laugh was the opposite of Rido's; instead of being cold and cruel, it was warm and inviting. She struggled not to join in with him. She wondered briefly if anyone else had witnessed him in a moment like this, or if this was something for her eyes only.

"If you would let me speak, I'd say yes." He told her once he had brought himself back under control. The gorgeous sound still rang in her ears. She would attempt to bring him to that state again. The radiant smile she often wore returned to her face. She greedily drank in the expression she got in return.

"Great! I can't wait!"

"Zero! Yuuki!" The young voice reached their ears a split second before Yuuki was tackled by a familiar ball of energy.

"Yui!" She called in surprise, holding onto him automatically. He was a lot happier now that he could play freely whenever he wanted, and Yuuki in turn was happy that he could just be the child that he was. She knew that Zero shared her sentiments.

"Yui, we haven't been seeing you much." Zero said, giving his head an affectionate pat.

"I've been very busy." He responded solemnly. Zero snorted good naturedly. "What? Playing with the other kids is hard work!"

"I'm sure it is."

"Oh, Yori is here!" Yui stated all of a sudden, causing the two adults to blink at the sudden change of topic. "She's waiting inside for you."

"You're not going to come with us?" Yuuki asked, resting her hands on the boy's shoulders. He still hadn't released her from his grip, holding her tightly around the waist.

"I would, but I promised I'd meet Kei like now."

"Ah."

"Zero?" His gasp gave the impression that he had just remembered something important. He reached into a pocket, a finger sliding easily underneath the string. A particularly strong light glinted off the familiar pendant as it came free.

"I've been meaning to give this back to you." He held the pendant out to Yui, who beamed and slipped it around his neck.

"Thank you so much, Zero!"

"Now, haven't you got a friend to meet?"

"You too!" He waved at the both of them before he sprinted off, calling back over his shoulder. "See you later!"

Yuuki and Zero shared a look that conveyed their shared affection for the boy.

"I suppose we should go and see Yori then."

~Z~

" _What did you just say?" Yori asked, trying to control her rage. To an outsider, it looked like she had someone holding her back even though she was alone with the blond vampire._

" _I said, leave! I have no use for a human that can't work!" Hanabusa yelled back. He was refusing to meet her eyes, barely looking at her. She saw the flash of a fang before he turned his back on her, denying her the knowledge of his expression._

" _Well, if that's all I mean to you, then I'll go!"_

" _Fine!"_

" _Fine!" Yori stormed out of the room, leaving him alone in the large room. She wiped her eyes quickly, wondering around in an agitated aimless silence broken only by her occasional angry huffs. She hadn't realised that he would change so much at the change of a law. She'd have thought that he'd be happy to have her free to choose, but instead he had denied her that choice and thrown her out._

 _She was so distracted by her own thoughts that she didn't notice the body in front of her until she had crashed into it, bringing the two of them down to the ground in a tangled flash._

" _I'm so sorry! I wasn't paying attention!" Yori squeaked, trying desperately to disentangle herself and stand._

" _What's wrong, Yori? Are you alright?"_

" _Yuuki?" She looked down into her best friend's concerned eyes, and the angry tears that she had been desperately holding back came flooding to the surface; Yuuki had always been able to tear the dam apart with a single look._

 _She explained the situation to her through her tears, allowing Yuuki to hold her in a comforting embrace. She was almost like her mother in situations like this, from what Yori could remember of her._

" _For a genius, he really is an idiot." Yuuki mused from beside her._

" _He is. A real idiot." Yori ground out in response. "I thought he cared about me. I thought he… felt the same way I do."_

" _He does." Yuuki reassured her. "He always gave you the light duties, after all. He never really wanted you to work in the first place."_

" _If he does, why did he say those things to me?" Yori knew, in her heart, that he hadn't said those things because he himself believed them. He might be an abrasive moron at times, but he would never say something so callous to her if he didn't think he had a good reason._

" _I think he got scared. Scared that you would choose to leave him. He didn't want to hear those words, so he forced your hand."_

 _There was a pause._

" _I know." Yori finally mumbled in response._

" _You know. He was reading something recently, and there was a quote that stood out to me. 'If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, you know it's meant to be.'" Yori was looking at her in amazement. "What?"_

" _When did you get so wise? You're usually an airhead." She teased, causing Yuuki to stick her tongue out childishly at her._

" _I am not! Anyway, you should go and explain to him that it's your choice to stay. That you want to stay. Make him believe it."_

" _Yes. Under all that bluster, he is rather insecure about these types of things." Yori giggled. It always amazed her how Yuuki could make her feel better in the blink of an eye. It must have been her superpower. "It looks like Zero came back to you."_

" _What? Where did that come from?" Yori could see the pink tinge in her cheeks. It was adorable._

" _If you're going to help me with my love life, I'm going to help you out too. I'll have to do it now, while we're together." Yori didn't enjoy the guilty look that she got. She understood well that it wasn't Yuuki's fault._

" _I'm sorry, Yori. I should make time to see you…"_

" _You're busy. And in love. I understand." The blush intensified._

" _That's no excuse! I've been a bad friend."_

" _You'll just have to make it up to me when everything calms down." Yuuki nodded eagerly. "You don't have much time. As I said, I don't blame you wanting to spend what little time you have with Zero."_

" _Speaking of Zero, I don't know if he would come back…" Yori sighed._

" _You know exactly what's going on with Hanabusa and me, but when it comes to yourself… he'd definitely come back. You 'let him go' and he didn't even make an effort to leave. Doesn't that tell you something?"_

" _That he still thinks there's danger?"_

" _Yuuki!" She rolled her eyes._

" _I know, I know. The danger died with my uncle…" Though Yuuki was hiding her mouth behind her arms, Yori could see that she was smiling. "Oh, but you should go back to Hanabusa. He's probably really upset with himself right now."_

" _Good luck to us both, then!" Yori responded, giving her friend a grateful hug. She would go back and make him understand that she wanted to be with him. Maybe Yuuki would do the same with Zero. The idea of double dates was a lot more appealing to her now than it had ever been before._

 _She found the hapless blond where she had left him, albeit he was now pacing frantically back and forth. She could almost see the scorch marks where he had burnt out the carpet with his meandering._

" _Hanabusa Aido, you listen to me!"_

" _Yori!" He sounded surprised. His pacing stopped abruptly and he fixed his eyes on her. She could see him trying to put back the angry expression he had worn earlier. "Why did you come back?"_

" _Because I wanted to, and I know that you want me to stay too!"_

 _He spluttered in protest. A part of her was relieved that he wasn't able to form a proper rebuttal. That meant that he didn't have one._

" _I know that you were scared to hear the words if I had wanted to leave, but really, you should have given me the choice!"_

" _You want to stay with me?"_

" _Yes."_

" _But you have the freedom to go anywhere that you want now. You've never had a choice but to be with me."_

" _Are you trying to tell me that I should have fallen in love with someone else?" He was silent. "You were always kind to me. You worried that I'd hurt myself at the slightest thing, even if you claimed it was because you needed me to be able to work efficiently. You always took the time to talk to me if you could, even when no one else would. You protected me from those who would take advantage of me. I may not have had the choice to stay then, but I do now. And I want to stay with you. Because I love you, Hanabusa."_

 _There was a moment of stunned silence from the blond, before he reddened and coughed into his hand._

" _I love you, too." He said simply in response. He was once again unable to meet her eyes, but she could take it if it was due to embarrassment._

" _So will you let me stay?"_

" _Of course." He turned to her, allowing a smile to grace his face. "I'd be happy for you to stay."_

 _~Z~_

Yuuki caught a flash of movement that she realised was Hanabusa removing his arm from around Yori's shoulders as she and Zero entered the living room. They must have made up after their little talk in the hallway. She was smiling brightly even before Yuuki gave her their customary greeting hug.

"It's good to see you!" She exclaimed, glancing over at Hanabusa. He looked happy too, though he was doing his best not to show it. Freedom was suiting her. Whereas before, Yori had had a self-imposed dress code of drab colours and loose fitting clothes, she now wore much more bright and attractive array of clothes. Hanabusa could barely keep his eyes off her, judging from the frequent small movements of his eyes.

"It's good to see you too. And you, Zero." He nodded in acknowledgement, before greeting Hanabusa in a friendlier than expected manner. Yuuki raised an eyebrow.

"When did you two become friends?"

"It was a tale of mystery and intrigue." Zero responded.

"A tale of mystery that couldn't be solved without my genius."

"Sure, if you say so." Zero responded pityingly, patting his shoulder.

"Is this tale of mystery and intrigue related to an actual crime, or…?" Yuuki asked.

"Mhm. Turned out it was anti-human vampires." Zero responded.

"We neutralised them." Hanabusa said proudly. Yori was looking more confused than Yuuki felt.

"When did you do this?"

"Remember when I went away for a couple of weeks?"

"Oh."

"Anyway!" Yuuki clapped her hands together. She would get the full details of this from Zero later, and she was sure that Yori would do the same with the blond. "You two are actually together now?"

"Yes!" Yori replied happily. "It was easier than expected."

Hanabusa simply coughed into his hand awkwardly. Yori smiled up at him, moving herself subtly closer to him. The result was an automatic placing of his arm around her. She winked at her best friend, who giggled quietly back.

"Are you two together yet?" Yori asked innocently, one hand playing gently with Hanabusa's fingers. She embarrassed herself by spluttering in response while Zero remained unruffled by the question.

Before a response could be made, a face that she hadn't seen in months came into her vision.

"Kaname!"

"Lord Kaname!"

"Yuuki, Aido." He greeted the two who had spoken. "Good morning to you too, Sayori. Kiryuu. I hope you two don't mind if I speak with Yuuki and Kiryuu for a moment?"

"Not at all, Lord Kaname!" Kaname gave him a small smile.

"Thank you. I'll return them as soon as possible." He left the room, confident that his chosen two would follow.

"I'll see you in a minute, Yori." Yuuki said apologetically, grabbing Zero's hand as though he would run away. She knew that there was a certain level of animosity between the two men, so she wouldn't put it past Zero to ignore her brother's summons if he really felt like it.

Within a couple of minutes, the pair were perched neatly on the edge of Yuuki's bed. Of all the rooms that he could have picked, Yuuki hadn't been expecting her bedroom to be the one. It did make sense when she thought of it; no one was allowed in her room without her express permission. She couldn't help but think that her beloved older brother was trying to imply something with his choice of location.

"Is something wrong, Kaname?" She asked, worrying thoughts whirling about in her mind. Were talks with his councilmen breaking down? Were they about to be attacked over his decision to grant freedom to humanity?

"No, it's nothing like that."

Zero seemed much more relaxed than she was, though even she could see that he was still fairly alert. She doubted that he would notice such small things as the fact that Kaname hadn't smiled once since they entered her bedroom, or that he hadn't moved to hug her as he would always do if they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

"Then what is it about?" She asked, confused. Kaname leant himself against the wall, taking some of the weight off his feet.

"I know that Kiryuu intends to move on soon." He said matter-of-factly. Yuuki started a little. He hadn't said anything to her. Now that she thought about it, she had tasted the restlessness in his blood. She thought he'd at least talk to her though.

"I wouldn't have left without telling you, Yuuki." He stated flatly in response to her accusing stare.

"You haven't told me anything."

"There was nothing to tell." Zero turned his gaze from hers. "As it happens, I have had my fill of this place."

"You're restless here too, Yuuki." Kaname added, drawing her attention back to him.

"Well, I—" She started before Kaname cut her off with the wave of a hand.

"There's no need to explain anything. You perform your duties admirably, but this gilded cage isn't for you. I know that you'd rather spread your wings."

She remained silent, wondering where he was going with this. She felt Zero's fingers subtly grasp hers, as though to comfort her. She must have been allowing her agitation to show more than she had thought.

"With the current state of turmoil in the land between vampires and humans, however, I cannot allow you complete freedom. But I do have a compromise."

"A compromise?" Yuuki asked, her eyebrows pinching together in confusion. She could sense that Kaname had Zero's full attention too.

"This is something only the two of you can do." She felt the question that wasn't asked as a physical presence hanging over her and Zero.

"I'd like you to become my emissaries. I want you to bring together vampires and humans. The two of you together will be the perfect example of coexistence." His gaze found its way pointedly to their joined hands. Yuuki flushed and pulled her hand away. "So, will you do it?"

"If you really think I can help, then of course I'll do it!" Yuuki replied enthusiastically, the conjoined thoughts of being able to help and freely travelling making her giddy.

"Excellent. And Kiryuu?"

Zero simply nodded in reply. He would never turn down the opportunity to protect those in need. Yuuki had a suspicion that he had still been active in that regard despite his lengthy stay in the mansion.

"Lord Kaname, you are needed in the drawing room!" A harassed looking servant called breathlessly. Kaname sighed in annoyance at having been interrupted.

"I'll be right there." He dismissed the servant before addressing Yuuki once more. "I expect you to give me detailed reports of your business. Come and find me when you are ready to leave."

She nodded as Kaname left the two of them alone.

"Emissaries, huh…" Zero mused.

"We get to go wherever we want! Isn't it exciting, Zero?" Her excited expression changed to one of suspicion at her partner's expression. "What's that face for?"

"It's not like I haven't travelled before, you know."

"Don't be such a spoilsport!" She said sternly. His amused expression only grew.

"Are you really ready to travel the world with me?" He added, a mischievous glint in his eye. Yuuki felt her heart pounding in response.

"Of course I am!" She scolded, before adding under her breath. "I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else."

Zero left the silence lingering long enough for Yuuki to feel the onslaught of panic before he spoke.

"I wouldn't want to travel with anyone else either." He took both her hands in his, a magnetic pull drawing her eyes to his. She tried not to lose herself once more in those lilac depths. "I love you, Yuuki Kuran."

"I love you, too." Yuuki wasn't sure who initiated the following kiss; all she knew was that she never wanted it to end.

~Z~

"We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come back." Yori quipped, causing Yuuki to flush red. Zero, as usual, remained stoic.

"What did Lord Kaname have to tell you?" Hanabusa asked curiously. Yuuki couldn't think of any way to ease herself into the answer, so she allowed it to come forth untarnished by introductions.

"He gave me permission to leave here with Zero."

"Oh. I didn't think he would." Yori replied simply. Of course she knew that Zero had plans to move away from the Kuran estate, Yuuki thought. Everyone except her seemed to know.

"He said he'll be fine. He has Hanabusa, after all." Said man puffed up in pride at her words. If Kaname had found him difficult to deal with before, he would find it impossible know. Her brother would get her back for this somehow, she just knew it.

"You can't spend all your time with Kaname just because he's lonely." Yori informed him. "I am nipping this bud right now."

"Remember that Yori is your girlfriend, not Kuran." Zero added. Yuuki snorted inelegantly.

"I know that!" He retorted, folding his arms over his chest childishly. Yori placed her fingers gently on his elbow, causing him to shift it just enough for her to slip her arm through his.

"But you're not leaving right now, are you?" She asked, cuddling up to the still pouting Hanabusa.

"Not just yet." Zero answered.

"Then let's get out of this stuffy house and hit the town!" She said excitedly, her bright smile forcing Hanabusa to drop his pout and smile in return. Yuuki idly wondered if Hanabusa's father had accepted their relationship. She understood that there was a stigma, given how recently Yori's status had risen. She knew that his father loved him too much to risk isolating him, however.

"Mhm." Yuuki nodded enthusiastically, letting Hanabusa and Yori lead the way. She toyed with the idea of linking her arm with Zero's as Yori had done with Hanabusa before she followed along behind them.

~Z~

Telling Yui that they would be leaving the estate was much harder than either of them had been expecting. He frequently acted much more maturely than one of his years should need to, and Yuuki was forcefully reminded of just how few years he had actually lived.

"No! I want to go with you!" He screamed, his lip wobbling as he held back the tears that threatened to fall.

"That's not a good idea, Yui." Zero chided gently, dropping to Yui's eye level with the use of his knee.

"Why? I lived with you before!" He said angrily, wiping his eyes. Zero placed a comforting but firm hand on his shoulder.

"Look at me, Yui." He ordered gently, waiting for the boy to follow his command before he continued. Yuuki found herself wondering if Zero would be like this with their own children, before she cut off her presumptuous mind. "It's not a good idea to unsettle a child your age. We didn't have the option before, but you have a home here now. You're well fed, well rested and you have friends your own age here. It'd be possible that you wouldn't be able to see them for months at a time. Is that something you want?"

"No." The child muttered grudgingly. Zero gave him a reassuring smile.

"We're not abandoning you. We'll come back and see you often. We promise."

"But!"

"No buts. You can have a real childhood here. I can't provide you with that. I know it doesn't seem like it now, but you'll thank me for this when you're older."

There was a short pause.

"You better come back." He replied, giving up.

"Oh Yui, of course we'll come back. I'll drag Zero back here kicking and screaming if I have to." Yuuki joined in, joining the two on the ground. She got a smile from the boy before she pulled him into a hug.

"And you're gonna bring me back lots of presents." He demanded into her shoulder, drawing laughter from the older pair.

"You'll get something from every town we visit, okay?" Zero conceded in his own hug.

"Okay. I'll let you go." Yui said, his bright demeanour quickly replacing his upset. Yuuki was glad that he bounced back so quickly. That would help him in the long run.

"So, what shall we do today to make up for the time we won't have later?" She asked, getting several excited responses from the child. Her mind wandered back to thoughts of their own hypothetical child.

~Z~

Yuuki heaved a sigh, breaking the tranquil silence that had descended between them. The goodbyes to her family and friends had been a tougher ordeal than she had been expecting, even knowing that she would be back often enough. She wondered if Kaname would really be alright without her. But then, her mind would tell her, Hanabusa and Yori weren't going anywhere.

"Are you regretting your decision?" There was a playful edge to Zero's dulcet voice, bringing her back to the present. She shook her head decisively.

"No, that's not it…" Rather, something had been niggling at her since they had left, an irritating insect crawling across her mind and telling her that something was wrong. That they had left too early and something had been left unfinished. The only way she could describe it, if she had to put it into words, was that there was a gap in her knowledge, and that it felt important.

"Then what's troubling you?" She hadn't realised that she had been staring vacantly at her feet until she heard Zero come to a stop in front of her rather than seeing him. Therefore, she found it only fitting that she was blinded by the remaining light spilling out from behind Zero's sturdy frame, giving him an angelic look. When her vision returned, the concern in Zero's ensured that she would tell him.

"I feel like we've forgotten something…" She mumbled, "Like we've left something… unfinished."

"Me too." Zero responded after a minute, "but nothing is springing to mind. Do you want to go back?"

She shook her head.

"No. I'm sure Kaname can handle it, whatever it is."

Zero nodded in approval. Yuuki could tell that he hadn't wanted to go back to the opulent mansion that he had felt so stifled in, but she was grateful that he would have done if she had asked. He extended a hand to her, an offering for her to take it.

The gesture filled her with warmth. She eagerly slipped her hand into his, entwining their fingers in a lovers embrace. As she took in Zero's handsome features once more, she decided that she would never look back again.


	15. Epilogue

Kaname was unaware of Yuuki's growing suspicions, the not altogether incorrect idea that things didn't add up as neatly as she had once believed, but it wouldn't have bothered him even if he had. No matter how her suspicions grew, Yuuki would never bring accusations against her beloved older brother. After all, he had always shared in her views and protected her against all enemies. After all, he was kind hearted like her.

The ruby red concoction passed easily from the glass to his lips as he leaned back in his chair, legs crossed; taking in the vibrant blue of the sky that blanketed his kingdom. A satisfied sigh escaped his lips. Everything had lead up to this point. The point in which he would be the undisputed ruler, known for securing the co-operative future of vampires and humans. He had kept his lust for power so under wraps that no one else could conceivably see it. He was proud of himself for that.

The discovery of his talent as a pureblood had helped him along with that, he silently mused. Everyone was aware that the purebloods were born with abilities far superior to their own, but they were not necessarily aware of what those abilities were. Kaname's, for example, had been memories. The viewing and altering of.

Of course, he hadn't stopped there. He had experimented with his talent until he found the useful consequences attached to it. Namely, his ability to implant subliminal commands in the minds of those he touched. It was as though he were programming a cyborg.

Naturally, he hadn't always had perfect control of his ability. His uncle had been an example of that. Yuuki had never remembered him as anything other than the sadistic monster that he had been turned into, but Juuri and Haruka had often looked at Rido with bewilderment and confusion. They had never figured out what caused their loving brother to suddenly embody everything evil. He had, however, perfected his ability when it came time to alter Kiryuu's memories; when it was time to reclaim Yuuki for the first time. He had certainly been a difficult one to tame, and he still wasn't certain of his control.

No matter, he thought as a small smile played across his lips. He idly wondered if the mystery of Juuri's disappearance would ever be solved. He certainly wouldn't be playing a part in it. He took another sip from his glass, wondering idly where Yuuki was now.

He had toyed with the idea of making her stay; of sending Zero Kiryuu away on his own. But, despite everything, he couldn't bring himself to do so. The irritating part of him that loved her unconditionally had fought back the urge to claim her. He would have even more of the citizenry's support if he had Yuuki publically by his side. But seeing her smile the way she did when she had looked at Zero had stirred up feelings he hadn't realised he harboured.

He hadn't noticed that he his glass had left his hand at some speed until he heard it smash gratingly against the wall, quickly followed by a concerned voice.

"It's alright, the glass just slipped out of my hand." He called quickly, not wanting anyone to disturb his solitude. Maybe the looks Yuuki had shared with Kiryuu, their mutual love, had disturbed him more than he had thought. Despite the necessity of the act, maybe he should never have let Yuuki go…


End file.
